Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Good morning, church.
[00:00:04] Despite the technical team's best efforts, I keep breaking the microphone. So we're using this one today.
[00:00:12] We're using this one today. It's not a them thing, it's a me thing.
[00:00:16] Before we step into our time, I do want to take just a minute and remind us. I know you guys know this because we're all getting off work, but it's Memorial Day weekend, and this is a time when our country sets aside to remember those who gave their lives to defending our nation, defending freedom. And so I do want to. I know we literally just prayed, but you can pray extra in church. I want to take a minute and pray specifically for those families in our church where there are veterans who have served and have friends and comrades in arms who didn't come home. And those families who are currently living in that reality, whether it's someone who's lost or someone who's deployed. And so pray with me and we'll step into it. Jesus, thank you so much for the gift of this culture you've put us in, Lord. It is. There's a whole lot of reasons that because of our affection and loyalty to you, that we critique and challenge the culture around us, Lord. But at the end of the day, we really are grateful that you've placed us in this time, in this place, with the freedoms you have, Lord. And so for those who have built their lives around serving and protecting others and have paid large prices for that in their families, Lord, we pray your blessing this weekend.
[00:01:25] We pray that this weekend they would. Those who are hurting would be surrounded by people who know you and can give you. Give them the real comfort that is from you.
[00:01:36] And, Lord, for each of us this weekend, we just pray that you would give us a reminder of what it means to be blessed and to live our lives with gratitude. God, we love you, we trust you and pray these things in your name. Amen.
[00:01:48] Okay, so we are stepping back into Matthew today. We took a short break from Matthew as we were going into Easter season, stepping back into Matthew. So we're going to be in Matthew 24. If you want to go ahead and turn there. If you don't have a Bible with you today, we have house Bibles around the room. You can look under the chairs in front of you and snag one. We really believe in the importance of access to God's word here at Emmanuel Fellowship. If you don't own a physical copy of God's Word, I encourage you to take that Bible or talk to one of the pastors and we'll get you one that's nicer. But we're stepping back into Matthew today and we're going to start a short series in Matthew as we go through Matthew 24 and 25. And then really, this is this section of Scripture. This represents Jesus's last discourse before his death. If you don't know, the Gospel of Matthew is structured the way Matthew wrote it by going back and forth between a series of narratives and a series of discourses. So it kind of stops and gives us a whole chunk of Jesus's teaching and then gives us a chunk of stories about Jesus. And it goes back and forth and back and forth. Matthew 24:25 is the last of Jesus's discourses before his death. It's the last one, and it's one of the weirdest ones. It's often called the Olivet discourse. It's weird because it is an end times prophecy. This is most of this chunk of Scripture is Jesus talking about the Apocalypse, talking about the end of all things. And guys, let's be honest, that's a thing that most of us have a hard time engaging in one way or the other. We have a hard time engaging it maybe because we're a little too into it, or we have a hard time engaging it because it's confusing and scary, and so we avoid it. But one of the benefits of going verse by verse through books of the Bible is that we don't get to avoid passages that might be weird or uncomfortable. And so we're going to take the next few weeks and work our way through Matthew 24 and 25. And really, guys, I want you to remember a couple things.
[00:03:51] All of this section. This is Jesus encouraging his followers to look forward to the end of all things and to consider the kingdom implications on their own lives and their own practice of faith.
[00:04:06] Apocalyptic passages. When I say apocalyptic, I mean passages in Scripture that talk about the end of time, the end of all things. They are almost always intriguing to believers. For the last 2,000 years, Christians have wanted to know everything they can know about end times. People write, they explore the teaching of Jesus, the prophecies of Daniel, the prophecies of John, the letter to the Thessalonians. We try and pick out details and make predictions about what connects to what and when things are going to go down. And it's because it's. It's intriguing, right? It's intriguing, it's mysterious. The Bible teaches the end of all things will be loud, it will be violent. Many of the prophecies that you see about the end of all things have really vivid and strange imagery like dragons with seven horns and that kind of thing.
[00:04:57] It's weird, it's strange, it's mysterious. And in all of it, all of us are sitting here going, yeah, but when does Jesus come back? Right? Like, I want to know that part. I want to figure that part out. When will all this go down? I'm sure many of you in this room have put a lot of thought and energy into end times. Maybe you got really into the left behind books. Maybe at some point in your life, you may not be willing to admit it in this space, but maybe at some point in your life, you paid money for a conference to go hear someone talk about how the different images line up to real things. And, oh, this image of the scorpions, that's really helicopters, like that, that kind of thing, right? I went to one of those when I was younger.
[00:05:39] Nothing wrong. I mean, there is something wrong with that, but nothing wrong with being intrigued by these things. I think on the flip side of it, many of us look at the scriptures about the end times, and they're so scary and confusing that we just go, I'm gonna skip that part, right? Like, I skip revelation on my Bible reading plan because I don't get what it's saying and it just makes me feel weird and anxious. Regardless of where you land on this stuff right now, I want to encourage all of us over the next few weeks, let's do our best to walk a middle ground when it comes to end times or apocalyptic passages. We don't want to obsess over them. You shouldn't obsess. Obsess over them. In fact, Jesus is going to talk really explicitly in this chunk of text about why we shouldn't obsess over this part of scripture. The reality is, no matter how many conferences you go to or how many left behind reboots you watch, you won't figure it out.
[00:06:38] You won't. You won't discover some mystery that theologians for the last 2000 years somehow skipped over. You're not going to.
[00:06:47] In fact, I would say that for me personally, as a pastor and theologian, I almost immediately mistrust someone who is writing and speaking with a deep confidence in their end times theology. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mean you shouldn't have convictions about your end times theology. I've been studying this text to preach it to you guys. I have convictions. I'm going to speak from them, right? But the idea that I'm so confident in reading these mysterious and difficult passages that I've got the right way figured out and everyone else for the last 2000 years is wrong. That kind of confidence, that's a red flag.
[00:07:23] Because these are complex passages. They are difficult, they are strange, they are mysterious. And Jesus himself explicitly says, you won't figure it out. You won't.
[00:07:34] Which is really the message of this whole section of Matthew.
[00:07:38] You're not going to figure it out. You're not going to figure out how to get there when it's going to happen. So the better option is just be ready when it does happen, which is really what this whole text, this whole section of text is going to point us back to. So we don't want to be obsessed over these texts. We also don't want to avoid them.
[00:07:59] They are complex, they can be scary, but they need not be anxiety inducing for you. You need not create a wall in your faith where you go, I do the whole Bible reading plan, except for Daniel and Revelation, because those ones weird me out. That's not how you need to live out your faith. Because at the end of the day, Apocalyp passages are about hope and they are about joy.
[00:08:22] They're wonderful texts. Wonderful texts. They are about hope and joy because beloved Jesus wins.
[00:08:31] Like, that's the story. That's, that's why these texts are there is to let you know, hey, I know life in this world can be painful and there's suffering and there's persecution and the curse is still in its death throes, but Jesus is coming back and spoiler alert, he wins.
[00:08:49] These texts should bring us hope, it should bring us joy as we consider the eternity that Christ has won for us.
[00:08:57] I'm going way too long on my introduction, but that's fine.
[00:09:01] My main point today is the world will continue to burn until Jesus returns.
[00:09:07] Pure and simple.
[00:09:08] The world will continue to burn until Jesus returns. So stay the course and trust his plan.
[00:09:14] And that has all sorts of interesting implications. We're going to talk about that today and over the next few weeks. I think the problem is that idea is easier said than done, right? It's real easy when you're sitting in church with your brothers and sisters to go, amen, Jesus wins. That's where it's all headed. Like, yeah, we got this. Stay the course, stay with the faith, stick with Jesus. It's worth it, even when it's hard. But how easy is it to lose track of the kingdom of God in the midst of the sheer craziness of this world?
[00:09:46] You Go through pain, you have busy schedules. The culture feels like it's falling apart. How easy is it to lose sight of Jesus's actual victory in your life and in this world?
[00:09:58] So what do you do? If we're going to sit here and say, we know this is how it's going to be till Christ returns, so we need to keep the faith and stay the course, how can you actually stay the kingdom course in this life?
[00:10:12] Well, we're going to look at Jesus's teaching today, and we're going to see the beginnings of his answer. So pray with me, and we're going to read this text in Matthew 24. Jesus, we need you to be our discipler today.
[00:10:24] We ask Holy Spirit that you would be the one who illuminates your text, who draws us to truth, who draws us to encouragement. Lord, for those of us in this room today who are spiritually dry, who have been going through seasons of difficulty where this world has been difficult, beating us down, Jesus, I pray that your word would be a balm of refreshment and healing to our souls today.
[00:10:47] Let us leave this space encouraged in your gospel, encouraged in your victory, and taking next steps towards dependence and faithfulness need. We love you, Jesus. We need you for this. So we pray it in your name. Amen.
[00:11:02] Okay, Matthew 24, the first verse. Remember the context really quick. Jesus has entered into Jerusalem. He's made his public proclamation. He's accepted the title, I am Messiah. He's had the triumphal entry, the donkey, the hosanna in the highest. He's gone into the temple and he started rebuking and challenging the religious leaders. And they've gone back and forth with him. And it turned into this really public, loud confrontation with Jesus, just shutting them down while they're trying to publicly discredit him. And at the end of that, when he's done shutting down the leaders for multiple days, we get the beginning of chapter 24. Read with me. Starting in verse one, it says this.
[00:11:45] As Jesus left and was going out of the temple, his disciples came up and called his attention to its buildings. He replied to them, do you see all these things? Truly, I tell you, not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down.
[00:12:04] Stop there for a second.
[00:12:06] So Jesus is making his way out of the temple complex, right? He's just finished up these multiple series of really public fights and arguments with the religious authorities of the Temple.
[00:12:18] And as he's leaving the temple complex, his disciples who are with him, engage in this, I think, strange interaction they point out the grandeur of the temple. Now, I have a picture here of the Temple and the Mount. I want you guys to look at it.
[00:12:36] Herod's temple is big.
[00:12:40] It's the biggest thing in Jerusalem in the first century. It's massive. It's taller than the walls of the city. It's four or five times bigger than the king's palace on the other side of town. It is an absolute monument.
[00:12:54] If you actually go, historians know some of the stones used to build Herod's temple were over 600 tons.
[00:13:04] Massive, massive. Huge wonder of the ancient world. Wonder of architecture, right?
[00:13:12] But here's what's interesting, because on the surface you go, well, of course, the apostles pointed it out, right? Like, look at this thing. These are a bunch of country bumpkins who've traveled here from Galilee and they get to look at this amazing thing that's part of their culture. But these are good, faithful Jewish men. They've been here to Jerusalem multiple times every year over the course of their whole adult lives.
[00:13:34] They've seen this thing plenty of times. They've been up and down those massive ramps. They've been in and out of the temple complex. But for whatever reason, in this moment, as Jesus is leaving, having publicly confronted the religious leaders, they have this moment of just going, man, look at this building. Jesus, look at this thing.
[00:13:54] Look at it. Look at those stones. Look at those buildings. Look at those carvings. And I think the reason here is actually kind of subtle. So you have to remember Jesus's followers had a way different picture of Jesus's messiahship than Jesus actually intended.
[00:14:11] They assumed that Christ as messiah would be a social and political leader, that he would come to Jerusalem and unite the religious and political leadership and raise up an army and overthrow Rome and bring Israel back to being a nation of its own, standing in power alongside the nations of the world. That was their assumption of the Messiah, is that he would be another judge, another King David, someone who would raise them up and bring them to national identity and national glory.
[00:14:46] Well, Jesus has just had all these confrontations with the very religious leaders that he's supposed to be uniting in their mind. And so as they're leaving the temple, these guys are going, I don't know what he's going to do, but it's going to happen here. Whatever the heck his kingdom looks like. Maybe he's going to sweep house. Maybe we're going to all be installed. Like, whatever they're thinking, they're thinking it's going to happen here.
[00:15:08] And so as they're leaving the temple. You can imagine these young guys going.
[00:15:12] Be hanging out here a lot over the next couple years as Jesus takes over the world. This is going to be my spot. This is cool. I used to only come here like once a year. This is going to be my place now. And you can imagine them looking at him going, this spot's pretty great, right? Jesus? This is pretty cool.
[00:15:27] And yet his response is really intense.
[00:15:32] He immediately predicts the destruction of the temple.
[00:15:37] This thing is going away.
[00:15:40] This thing is gone. Not one stone will stand upon the other.
[00:15:47] Because here's the thing, guys, God does not need this temple.
[00:15:53] That's the whole. At the root of the whole issue Jesus is getting at with these religious leaders.
[00:15:58] Herod built this temple.
[00:16:01] Herod, you know, the same one who, like, killed all the children around where Jesus was born to try and keep Jesus from growing up.
[00:16:09] Not a good dude.
[00:16:11] This was even called Herod's temple.
[00:16:15] Yahweh doesn't need that.
[00:16:18] And take it a step further, by the way. Jesus isn't the kind of messiah who needs earthly prestige and power.
[00:16:27] The best Herod and his temple could offer were of no interest to Jesus.
[00:16:33] So Jesus condemns the temple.
[00:16:36] This temple will be demolished, guys.
[00:16:40] Ancient one, like, wonder of architecture.
[00:16:44] The idea of this thing being demolished and every stone being overturned. Unthinkable. Unthinkable. This thing was dramatically stronger and more impressive than the entire rest of the city combined.
[00:16:57] The idea that this thing would be gone was outside the realm of anyone's understanding until about 40 years later, when Rome does exactly that.
[00:17:10] The Jews would rebel against Rome just one too many times, and Rome would show up and conquer the whole city. And after they conquered the city, they would encamp there for literal months. As a point of spite. They would disassemble that temple stone by stone, by breaking and burning everything. So they could build a pagan altar on the mount and blaspheme the God of the surviving Jews.
[00:17:35] Forty years later, that happened.
[00:17:38] It's nuts. To this day, all that is left of that entire structure is a single retaining wall called the Western Wall. There's a picture of it called the Wailing Wall. Sometimes it's all that's left of that massive monolith.
[00:17:53] This is a really good moment to talk about a facet of biblical prophecy and specifically apocalyptic prophecy. That's really vital to understanding it in a context like this.
[00:18:04] It's also a part of, by the way, why these prophecies can be so confusing to interpret. So I like to call this the Onion of biblical prophecy. And this is in honor of Shrek, obviously, the great theologian. It goes like this.
[00:18:17] Apocalyptic prophecy, or almost always has different layers of meaning.
[00:18:24] So a great interpretive lens to use whenever you're on your own, when you're reading through apocalyptic passages, whether that's Thessalonians or Revelation or Daniel or in the Gospels, and Jesus speaks to it. A great lens to bring to the table is to ask three questions. What was the immediate historical application of what was being said?
[00:18:42] Meaning what happened in the immediate or near history that showed the meaning and truth of the prophecy? This temple will be torn down 40 years later, it's torn down, right? Immediate historical fulfillment. But what's the universal application of what is being said? How does this prophecy reveal some constant truth about life and the cursed and broken world?
[00:19:07] And then what is the end days application of what is being said? So how does it speak to something happening immediately or in the near future? How does it speak to something that is pretty much always true in the cursed and broken world? And how does it speak to what we know of Christ's eventual return? Like any interpretive structure lens, this can't be applied 100%. It doesn't work perfectly with every single text. But generally speaking, it's a great place to start when you are looking at these sometimes confusing texts. Rarely are apocalyptic prophecies, or really any biblical prophecy for that matter, simple or just simply an immediate moment. Like rarely are they simply just about something that happens in the future or something that happens right now. Usually there's multiple layers of fulfillment. And when they talk about these in scripture, this is the part where it gets kind of confusing. The speaker tends to just flow in and out of the different meanings.
[00:20:06] So they talk about the immediate fulfillment, the long term fulfillment, the eternal truth, and they just kind of flow and meld in and out of them. And it can make it really hard to actually dig through the text and pull out the meanings. It's part of why we have to have a little bit of humility when we look at these texts and not just assume we have it figured out. So Jesus, in a very real way, he's speaking about the literal destruction of the Jerusalem temple.
[00:20:32] But we also know that when he talks about the destruction of the temple, he's talking about his own impending death.
[00:20:38] But we also, we also know the truth that man made religion is insufficient to the needs and goals of the gospel, right? There's multiple meanings here, clear as mud for us, right? Well, it was to the apostles as well. This is not the kind of thing that you just hear and go, oh, okay, so look how our text goes on. In verse three, while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, tell us, when will these things happen and what is the sign of your coming in the end of the age? Jesus replied to them, watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Messiah, and they will deceive many. And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars and see that you are not alarmed because these things must take place. But the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places, and all these events will are the beginning of labor pains.
[00:21:38] The disciples want to know how Jesus's new kingdom is going to work. What is this future he's pointing them to?
[00:21:46] And Jesus answers, he wants to help prepare them for what's coming, right? Like, he loves his church, he wants to help them prepare. And look how he starts this teaching on end times. Watch out.
[00:22:00] See to it that no one deceives you.
[00:22:05] Jesus knows this stuff can trip us up, that we can get too caught up in it, that we can be easily deceived with this specific kind of scriptures, which is, watch out, be careful. And then he describes three aspects or signs of things that will change as the world moves towards its end. False messiahs will deceive people, nations will go to war, and natural disasters will happen.
[00:22:34] And if you use our threefold interpretive lens, all three of these things make sense. See, in the coming generation after Jesus resurrection, the church would struggle with leadership and many folk would be led away by bad leadership, people claiming to speak truth.
[00:22:53] And the Roman Empire would have splintering and struggles in its own structure, and there would be war and there would be famine throughout the empire in the end times. Lens makes sense also, because if you go and read like Revelation, it seems to describe that when Christ does come back, these things will amp up. There'll be more disunity, there'll be more chaos on a global scale.
[00:23:18] But Jesus is also speaking a really important truth for us today.
[00:23:21] Because here's the interesting thing, guys, those three things, false messiahs, wars, and natural disasters, these are always true in the cursed and broken world.
[00:23:33] Those are a part of the state of living in the curse and awaiting Christ's return.
[00:23:40] Messiah is a word that means anointed one. It means savior in every place and at all times. There are those who claim to Be messiahs, political leaders, religious leaders, celebrities, technology leaders from the first century. Today, people tell us, just follow me, I'll save you.
[00:23:59] I have the way to get you to the good life. And many people are swept up in their fervor. I mean, come on guys. Every four years in our particular culture, a group of people spend a lot of money to tell you, if you follow me, I'll make your life better. And if you follow them, they'll make your life worse. Right?
[00:24:20] This has always been a truth. And even if you avoid politics, there's plenty of social media influencers, influencers out there who would love to tell you about their disciplines, routines and products that if you just follow them and buy them directly from them with their discount code, it will improve your lives.
[00:24:39] Just as Jesus prophesied, many are led astray.
[00:24:45] We believe false messiahs.
[00:24:48] Earthly nations will also always compete.
[00:24:51] They will always try and dominate when and where they can. There's always war, always violence. There's always the powerful exploiting the oppressed. And when the script flips and the oppressed get freed and get power, guess what they do?
[00:25:05] They turn around and they oppress and exploit those who hurt them.
[00:25:09] This will continue as long as there are nations.
[00:25:13] The earth itself is broken by the curse. Famines, earthquakes, forest fires, tornadoes that go through poor parts of town come and they hurt the righteous and the evil alike.
[00:25:27] Beloved, this is what it means to live in the cursed and broken world.
[00:25:33] This is what it looks like. There's no getting away from it. And that reality can easily just crush you, just beat you down. It can grind down your hope. It can destroy any sort of belief outside of self preservation.
[00:25:51] We can be so overwhelmed that we check out and just seek to take care of ourselves. Many of us in this room feel exactly that way today.
[00:26:00] I just can't do it. I can't keep looking at the news. There's too much stuff. There's too much stress. I have too many friends and family members going through too many painful things. It's too much to handle and I'm overwhelmed and I'm overloaded and so I'm going to crash on the couch and I'm going to doom scroll reels till three in the morning. Yeah, just me. Okay.
[00:26:22] Look how Jesus responds to this reality.
[00:26:26] All these events are the beginnings of labor pains.
[00:26:32] The beginnings of labor pains.
[00:26:36] That can be a scary moment.
[00:26:39] Labor pains.
[00:26:40] But they're not the end, they're the beginning.
[00:26:44] Many of us in this room have kids and many of you ladies have been through labor Pains, they're intense, they're wild.
[00:26:52] But they're the beginning, the beginning of the beautiful end that is that child.
[00:26:58] And that's the amazing truth of the gospel in this. That is. That is so counterintuitive, but it's so vital to understand. You see, beloved, Jesus's perfect life, his unjust death on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, his ascension to heaven, and his eventual return to restore all things. That gospel work, it does.
[00:27:19] It does fix everything wrong and evil forever in eternity. It does.
[00:27:25] Every wrong you've ever done and every wrong ever done to you will be fixed by Jesus's amazing gospel work. Jesus saves you from the sin and the curse. You can be made new and brought into his perfect heaven by his work.
[00:27:41] That is true, it's wonderful, it's hope.
[00:27:46] But also at the same time, he does not erase the wrongs you've done and the wrongs done to you.
[00:27:55] No, no, no. He rights them, he heals them, he redeems them, but he doesn't erase them.
[00:28:04] Jesus himself bears his wounds and his scars from the cross in his resurrected body.
[00:28:10] You need to know, beloved, you will as well.
[00:28:13] You will not magically forget the hardship and evil of this world.
[00:28:18] Oh, rather, Jesus will redeem those things.
[00:28:23] He'll give you healing.
[00:28:26] He'll give those wrongs meaning and purpose.
[00:28:30] Just like so many mamas bear the scars of their birth.
[00:28:34] And those scars are filled with meaning and redemption as you raise that child in the same way. The evils of this world, they are labor pains.
[00:28:44] They're bad, they're scary, they're real. But they are leading somewhere.
[00:28:50] They're leading to eternity. They're leading to the forever redemption of Jesus, return and restoration of all things. So when we see the world behaving like the world, beloved, it need not beat us down.
[00:29:05] It can remind us this is the labor pain.
[00:29:09] But someday Christ will return and these scars will be redeemed.
[00:29:13] The world being the world can turn us to burnout. It can turn us toward escape.
[00:29:20] But it can also turn us to the hope of Jesus and his wonderful gospel.
[00:29:25] Read on with me in verse nine.
[00:29:29] Then they will hand you over to be persecuted. They will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will fall away, betray one another and hate one another.
[00:29:40] Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many, because lawlessness will multiply. The love of many will grow cold.
[00:29:49] But the one who endures to the end will be saved. The good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.
[00:30:01] Wow.
[00:30:03] Jesus goes hard in this chunk of text.
[00:30:06] He holds nothing back here, right?
[00:30:09] This first part about the labor pains, that was general. That was other. But here he gets really specific. This is what will happen in the world now. He goes, this is what will happen to you.
[00:30:21] Persecution is coming.
[00:30:24] Jesus tells his disciples they'll be hated and they'll be killed. And by the way, this is nothing new to Jesus. If you back up To Matthew chapter 10, this is actually really similar to when Jesus first sent his disciples out to minister in his name around Galilee. You can go back and read that chapter and you can read quotes like this first. I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves. Or they will hand you over to the local courts and flog you in the synagogues. And you will even be brought before governors and kings because of me. Or you will be hated by everyone because of my name.
[00:30:55] That sound familiar?
[00:30:57] It's important to note that Jesus told them then in Matthew 10, the same thing he tells them now.
[00:31:04] But to the one who endures to the end, they will be saved.
[00:31:08] Jesus knows that following his kingdom will be hard for his followers.
[00:31:15] And he wants to encourage them. He wants to strengthen them. Endure, he says.
[00:31:21] Stay the course, he says.
[00:31:24] It's easy to see why Jesus is concerned with this, as persecution and violence is one thing.
[00:31:32] But Jesus says his followers will also experience defection and betrayal.
[00:31:37] Those who once proclaimed Christ but were never really part of the fold. When times get hard, they will fall away.
[00:31:44] They'll betray.
[00:31:46] They'll hate the church they once claimed to love. That kind of betrayal is incredibly painful.
[00:31:53] It's incredibly hard.
[00:31:56] But it goes even a step beyond that. Jesus says there will be false prophets. Folk who claim authority in the church, claim to speak for God, but are actually leading people astray.
[00:32:08] Jesus sums the whole situation up as lawlessness says, it'll be so bad it will cause love to grow cold again. If you apply our interpretive lens, we're struck with some truths. We know that in the lifetime of the apostles, a lot of this came to pass.
[00:32:26] Nero's persecution was brutal. Peter and Paul were martyred under his state sanctioned violence against the Church. Many did defect and abandon the faith. You can read about them. Paul calls a couple out by name in second Timothy, right? They claimed things there were false teachers who were distorting the gospel of grace. They claimed things like Jesus wasn't really God, but an angel. Jesus didn't really live in a body, but was a Spirit. Yahweh isn't the only God, but is part of a larger pantheon. Salvation isn't really through grace, but through works of holiness.
[00:32:58] And history tells us that each of the apostles did endure to the end, except for John. They all died. Martyrs, deaths, immense suffering, stabbing, being thrown off buildings, being impaled by spears, crucifixion, being burned alive. And none of them rejected Christ.
[00:33:20] They endured. They endured to the end. They bore witness to the very bitter end.
[00:33:27] Because Paul said during one of his imprisonments, to live is Christ, but to die is gain.
[00:33:33] Again, we can see in books like Revelation this sort of persecution, this sort of violence will arise in a particular fashion in fervor, when Christ returns.
[00:33:46] But again, there is a timeless truth here, beloved. To follow Jesus is to face opposition.
[00:33:55] That is just as true today as it was then and as it will be when Christ returns.
[00:34:01] See, we can pretend that isn't true in our particular context because we have governmentally protected religious rights and praise God for that.
[00:34:11] But research shows that for the last 25 years or so, 6 to 10,000 Christians are martyred every 12 months in the world.
[00:34:20] The number spikes massively above that every now and then when there are specific wars or genocides.
[00:34:27] But Christian martyrdoms stick around that area. Six to 10,000 deaths specifically for religious reasons for upholding the faith when they've been told not to. That number is astounding. If you do the math, that means one to three Christians on average are being martyred during the time of our gathering today.
[00:34:45] That's nuts.
[00:34:47] We may not experience that kind of state sponsored violence in our context.
[00:34:53] Praise the Lord for that.
[00:34:55] But we know in our heart of hearts that to follow Christ does mean opposition.
[00:35:01] To espouse a Christian worldview in our context, even though it might not mean violence against you, does get you thought of differently, gets you looked down upon, gets you considered as a bigot in many contexts. In our context, all of us have likely experienced the painful reality of someone walking away from the faith in a in a really loud, outspoken way. Even if you don't know someone directly or personally deconstructed social media influencers love to put out tons of posts about how foolish and destructive your Christian belief is.
[00:35:37] Never mind the plethora of spiritual authorities who lead folk astray in our days.
[00:35:44] False religions like Mormonism or Jehovah's Witnesses who dress their faith in Christian language and try and convince folk they're just another denomination that you can jump in and out of and it not really matter.
[00:35:56] Folks in the Muslim community claiming they have access to the true prophet who corrects everything wrong with Jesus's teaching preserved in Scripture and even within our own faith tradition. We all know about those folk who rise to prominence but teach dangerous, destructive, false teachings. Like the Prosperity Gospel News is full of evangelists and pastors who get exposed as predators, who use their position for personal gain and the manipulation of others.
[00:36:25] Even in our context, it is no wonder that people's love grows cold, right?
[00:36:33] To be hard pressed not to.
[00:36:35] You're faced with those things over and over and over. You work to honor Christ with your life and then you suffer for it.
[00:36:43] People think differently of you. Friends and loved ones abandon their faith and then look down their noses at you.
[00:36:50] Folk tell you you're actually doing all this work, but you're missing out on the true teaching. It's overwhelming, it's numbing, it's discouraging.
[00:37:00] So Jesus says love grows cold.
[00:37:03] But Jesus warns us, challenges us, encourages us. Endure.
[00:37:10] Endure. Don't miss it. Don't give up. Stay the course. Stick with Christ. This is how the broken world works. And it won't be fixed until Christ returns. And Christ will not return until the Gospel has been proclaimed.
[00:37:27] As you need to know, that's not a bug, that's a feature.
[00:37:32] That's the way God designed his kingdom.
[00:37:35] You see, he could have vacuumed your soul straight to heaven the minute you got saved. He's oh well, I'm a sinner, I need Jesus. And you prayed the prayer and Jesus goes done and sucks you up and you go straight to heaven. But it didn't work that way.
[00:37:48] He left you here and on. And on the surface that seems kind of rough.
[00:37:55] Jesus, I gave my heart to you, I confessed my sins, you've given me salvation. But this world is still pretty terrible.
[00:38:01] Why do I have to hang out here for the next however many years? If you have a perfect forever for me.
[00:38:09] But guys, Jesus designed it that way.
[00:38:13] He designed it that way.
[00:38:16] You are the tool he uses to proclaim his gospel to the mission to the world.
[00:38:21] He left you here to join in the mission. The Gospel is shared as the text says. We just read this. It shared his testimony.
[00:38:30] Your testimony, beloved. In his apocalypse, John would note that Satan is overcome by two things. The blood of the Lamb and the testimony of those who endured and suffered for Christ. Our faithfulness to Jesus. In the midst of the death throws of this broken and cursed world. It is part of how God advances his kingdom and draws more from death to life.
[00:38:53] So Jesus tells his apostles what he tells us today, endure.
[00:38:59] Stay the course.
[00:39:01] Be ready.
[00:39:03] This world will keep burning and churning until Christ returns. So don't be surprised when it does. Don't take the bait and let it wear you down. Don't be discouraged. This is what the cursed world does.
[00:39:18] Disasters, wars, persecution, suffering, broken relationships. What else would you expect from a world separated from the perfect love and guidance of a creator God?
[00:39:28] So stay the course, Church. Don't give up church. Trust Jesus. Trust his return. Trust his plan. Trust his heart for you and his creation.
[00:39:41] But how the heck do you actually do that, right?
[00:39:45] Easy to say, hard to do. When you leave this place and you see the news, when you go and spend time with that adult child, when you see some false teacher misleading sweet old ladies, how will you keep your heart from numbing out?
[00:40:02] How will you keep your love from growing cold? How do you keep from being overcome by this world?
[00:40:09] I'm going to land us with three thoughts on that three thoughts and then we'll end out it goes like this. Three things I think can help us endure and keep Christ in mind and actually face these things instead of numbing out. The first one is this. Rest in the Holy Spirit.
[00:40:25] Scripture tells us in Ephesians 1 it says this in him, in Christ. You also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed the Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the possession to the praise of his glory.
[00:40:44] The Holy Spirit is your guarantee.
[00:40:47] See, Jesus didn't leave you here on your own. He left you here, but he didn't abandon you. He empowers you. He is with you. The very Spirit of God that rose Christ from the dead dwells within you.
[00:40:59] He will keep you and he will care for you.
[00:41:02] So when you rest in the Holy Spirit's ministry in your life, when you hear from him, when he works through you in your ministry and service to others, when he guides you in your scripture reading and he takes you through interactions with other believers, when he reminds you of his presence in your life, that is a reminder that your forever is secure.
[00:41:23] Every time you experience the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life, every single time you're at church and it just hits you just right. And the Spirit says, I love you and I'm with you every time you're in the Word and you're reading and taking notes and the Holy Spirit says, this is what I have for you today. Every time you're with brothers and sisters and you Pray. And the Spirit brings the exact right words out. And they didn't know, but it spoke right to your heart. The Spirit is reminding you, I am with you, you are not alone. And I will keep you to the end.
[00:41:52] So rest in him.
[00:41:54] Rest in him. He is the deposit guaranteeing your forever.
[00:41:59] He is the reminder, the reminder that Christ's promises are good, as good as accomplished.
[00:42:06] Thing number two.
[00:42:07] Keep your eyes on Jesus.
[00:42:11] I know that's a really churchy thing to say, but it's an important thing.
[00:42:15] Remind yourself of Christ on a daily basis. The author of Hebrews tells us to think of our life on this earth as a race.
[00:42:23] And to finish the race, we must keep our eyes on Jesus, who ran it before us and already finished it.
[00:42:29] He is our Savior, our Lord. He is the lover of your soul. To keep your eyes on Jesus as your prize, as what you're seeking grounds you in the chaotic world.
[00:42:40] Paul said it like this to the Corinthian Church. Therefore, we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
[00:42:57] So we do not focus on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
[00:43:03] Beloved, come back to Jesus. Remind yourself of Jesus. Put rhythms in your literal everyday life that make you go, oh yeah, Jesus. Oh yeah.
[00:43:15] When you get up in the morning, you spend time in the Word. When you set up that little app on your phone that sends you the verse of the day. When you show up on a Sunday morning, when you come to small group, when you jump into a discipleship group with a believer, when you do those things, you're putting rhythms in your schedule to remind you day by day. Oh yeah, Jesus, man, it's so easy to forget about him. I get so caught up in the world. Oh yeah, oh yeah. The Word was accomplished for me.
[00:43:42] Keep your eyes on Jesus. And then lastly this. Be ready.
[00:43:46] Be ready.
[00:43:48] Spend time remembering why Jesus left you here. You have a mission.
[00:43:54] Jesus left you here with purpose, so stay ready.
[00:43:58] Peter says it like this in his letter, but in your hearts, regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason, for the hope that is in you.
[00:44:10] If you spend your time and your energy, your prayer life, considering the lostness and the gospel need around you, your love will stay lit and your faith will endure.
[00:44:23] The brokenness in this world is not reason to despair and give up.
[00:44:28] It is reason to join with Jesus in seeking and saving the lost.
[00:44:32] I got to get lunch with David Peterka the other day. Who runs when the saints? One of our mishma partners there in country for a couple months. And as I was just catching up with David and praying over him and his family, I was struck by the truth that the reality of human suffering in the form of human trafficking and abuse and all these things that drove David to kingdom action instead of driving him to despair.
[00:44:57] Beloved, that's not to puff him up.
[00:44:59] That's what the Holy Spirit does in us.
[00:45:03] You can be a part of Jesus, work to seek and save the lost in this world. You can be a part of it.
[00:45:08] So don't miss it.
[00:45:09] Look for it, pray for it. Be ready when you see the brokenness of the world. Don't run away. Run in, bear testimony the wondrous gospel of our Jesus. Adam, if you want to come back up, most of you guys know. I didn't ask you if I could do this. I'm sorry. Most of you guys know Eric. Michael, Chrissy's husband, is a firefighter.
[00:45:35] Do you guys know that?
[00:45:38] So is my friend Matt. Matt's here. Sometimes they're both out a good amount.
[00:45:44] Have to miss church relatively often. That's the nature of working as a firefighter because they work multiple day shifts, right where they have to be in the firehouse for a long time. I've always been struck by two aspects of the life of a firefighter. It's something I think, you know. It's like the little kid in me that wanted to be a firefighter and never did like. I think about that relatively often.
[00:46:05] A big part of a firefighter's job is just staying ready.
[00:46:11] It's just staying ready.
[00:46:12] If you go up to the firehouse, they may be doing drills, they may be maintaining their equipment, but oftentimes they're just hanging out, like cooking meals, hanging out in the gym, playing video games, reading books. That's why, like, you can take your kids up there and tour the place because so much of it is hanging out.
[00:46:32] But the second a call comes in, second a call comes in, boom, they're gone. Seconds. Seconds.
[00:46:40] They're dressed in the car, out the door, boom, gone.
[00:46:43] They're ready for the need. They train and they work to maintain their readiness.
[00:46:49] And what are they ready for?
[00:46:51] Well, they're not rushing out the door to go to the all you can eat Chinese buffet. They're not hanging out at a theme park. They run to danger.
[00:47:01] You're going. Why was that your reference?
[00:47:04] You know why.
[00:47:08] They run to danger.
[00:47:10] They get ready and get in those cars and they drive to fires, to car wrecks, to medical emergencies. They run into spaces that everyone else is running out of.
[00:47:21] That's why we love first responders, and we're grateful for them, for their bravery, for the readiness.
[00:47:27] Beloved, perhaps, just perhaps, perhaps Christ left you here to be his first response to the kingdom need around you.
[00:47:42] Perhaps your readiness is what God uses to advance the kingdom around you.
[00:47:49] Someday Jesus will come back and he will restore all things.
[00:47:53] But until then, you and I are the ones called to be ready.
[00:47:58] Let's take a minute and pray.
[00:48:00] Connect with the Lord as your heart needs. Seek him. If you can do that in your chair, that's awesome. If you want to get on your knees somewhere, if you want to come forward to the altar or grab one of the pastors, we're available. But I would encourage you take just a minute or just a short minute. We'll be quick.
[00:48:15] And just ask the Lord, what does it look like for you to be ready today? See what he says to you, and then we'll continue on in communion.
