Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] And I don't know if you realize this, but the World Evangelical alliance has made a decision to call today a day of global world prayer and fasting. And so I'm going to encourage us to join with 600 million evangelicals around our world to begin to pray and to believe that God would hear our cry and begin to bring healing across our globe. And to encourage those that are in leadership and those that are on the front lines with medical proficiencies, that are ministering to those that are afflicted and sick. We want to pray for those family members who have someone, maybe they've lost someone. Let's pray today and agree that our God will hear our cry and bring this pandemic to an end. So, Father, we come before you right now in the name of Jesus.
[00:00:46] And I ask, Lord, that you would move supernaturally around our globe right now, touching those that are afflicted, ministering grace to those that are grieving, strengthening those who are serving in medical capacities, Lord, and endeavoring to bring hope and healing into bodies. Lord, I pray today as well as for your children and for those outside of the commonwealth of faith. Lord, I pray that you would bring hope and encouragement and strength in a time of great economic despair.
[00:01:19] And I just ask, Lord, that you would do something supernatural today in every heart that is hearing this broadcast. And we thank you for that. In Jesus name and God's people are saying amen with me.
[00:01:34] On October 19, 1918, D.W. sutherland, acting mayor of the city of Kelowna, created the following public notice. And he said this hereby notice hereby given that in order to prevent the spread of Spanish influenza, all schools, prior public and private churches, theaters, moving picture halls, pool rooms and other places of amusement and lodge meetings are to be enclosed until further notice. All public gatherings consisting of 10 or more are prohibited.
[00:02:07] Now, it's interesting that we've been here before in history.
[00:02:11] A pandemic swept our world over a hundred years ago, and it's happening once again and it's impacting our lives as you and I realize that, and it should not catch us by surprise. Matter of fact, the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 1, verse 9, says, what has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. Isn't that an amazing statement? Nothing new under the sun. We've been here before.
[00:02:40] And so, in our area of the world, in less than a month, our lives have been completely upended.
[00:02:46] Every day, new updates impact and affect how we're living our lives.
[00:02:51] We're constantly being updated with the severity of this virus from various parts of the world.
[00:02:58] And not only is there sickness and death and job loss, but I'd like to focus in a little bit on how you and I should respond in a time such as this.
[00:03:10] Does the Bible have any practical guidelines that we can embrace in order for us to find our footings?
[00:03:17] As everything in our world is being shaken, and yet we're reminded in God's word that God's kingdom cannot be shaken. And as we shall see, when we put our trust in God, we are standing on a firm foundation.
[00:03:32] You know, while things, generally speaking, move a lot quicker in our present world, change in the ancient world seemed to have come more slowly. As Jesus was about to be crucified and ultimately leave his disciples, and he responded to a comment that they had made regarding the glory of the earthly temple, Jesus began to explain to them, and I believe it applies equally to us, the nature, the catastrophic nature of things that would unfold in our world. And yet, while Jesus is describing these coming catastrophes on earth, he also leaves us with powerful words of hope. And so thou I want to focus in on how you and I can respond to the catastrophe that's happening in our lives. And In Luke chapter 21, we find that Jesus had words to speak to his disciples. And I believe he leaves us with four insightful words on how best to respond to catastrophe. And the first one is simply, do not be deceived.
[00:04:33] The disciples, in a conversation here in this chapter of Luke 21, they were focusing on the glamour and the grandeur of the beautiful temple in Jerusalem, one of the seven wonders of the world.
[00:04:46] And Jesus takes that moment to give a very challenging word, and a word, I believe that will encourage us today as well. I think so often the present situations in life tend to obscure and hide the ultimate realities of life.
[00:05:02] We should not be deceived into thinking that this earthly life is.
[00:05:07] Is the permanent life. And so when catastrophes come, it reminds us of how fragile this life really is.
[00:05:15] I don't think most of us realize that we have lived probably in one of the most incredible times of prosperity in all of human history.
[00:05:24] And yet when problems come, it helps remind us once again on how weak and frail we really are.
[00:05:33] You know, prosperity has a downside to it. It tends to obscure our vision of what really matters in this life. And then when problems come, we begin to see that there are some things that are far more important.
[00:05:46] They cause us not only to look around and look within, but hopefully it causes us to look up.
[00:05:53] Another temptation of this life is that we tend to look only on the outward aspects of life, the natural and physical elements, as if they were the enduring elements. And yet the truth is that all that we see today will no longer exist. The spiritual elements, those things which we are unable to see, are the enduring elements of life.
[00:06:16] Now let's turn to Luke 21. The disciples are commenting on the beauty of that imposing structure of their day. And we pick this up in chapter 21 and verse 5 and 6 and said some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God.
[00:06:38] But Jesus said, as for what you see here, the time will come when one stone will be left on another. Every one of them will be thrown down. Number of years ago we were in Jerusalem and I was able to share with a group that we were with the actual stones that had been pushed off the Temple Mount.
[00:07:00] These people were now staring in admiration. And Jesus takes that as a teachable moment. And I think so often God does take and capture our attention when we have these moments in life where he can teach us powerful truths. I think back to Moses when he saw a bush that was not being consumed by fire. And God spoke to him in that moment. I believe that God often speaks to us in moments of difficulty. The apostle Paul had many hardships in his life, and one thing he learned from them was how God could show and demonstrate his mercy and comfort and begin to share the lessons that he had learned with others.
[00:07:41] Now the disciples here that the central feature of their way of life was about to be destroyed. You know, what Jesus said was kind of shocking to them.
[00:07:51] And I think sometimes we're shocked when things like what we're experiencing now comes into our lives. The outcome of self isolation and business closures, often bringing about layoffs, create within us a feeling that the way of life that we've once known is slipping away from us.
[00:08:12] And yet for many, this COVID 19 seems quite distant, especially in our part of the world, because it hasn't hit us with its fullest impact yet. Where many other parts of the world, they are really struggling in the heart of it. And so the question many times that is raised when you're really in the middle of it is, you know, what is happening to us and what should we do? And I think crisis has a way of devastating and changing our life's outlook.
[00:08:41] Many people, I feel, are not prepared to handle crisis moments because they're not strong spiritually.
[00:08:48] And here we See another aspect that we have to learn to minister to one another differently. Now think about what was happening to the early disciples. They were being told that their way of worship was going to be totally transformed. The temple was the central feature of. Of the Jewish way of worship. And now Jesus is telling them that the way they're going to worship is about to be destroyed.
[00:09:14] The sacrificial system, daily they were offering sacrifices to deal with the issue of sin in their life was going to be removed. This way of gathering together three times a year in the city of Jerusalem was going to be transformed. And yet Jesus alludes to that when he's talking to the woman at the well in the little town of Sychar in Samaria. And he says to this woman that what's about to happen is going to change how life is going to be lived from this point on. Actually, all of these elements that the Jewish people had been involved in are really only a shadow of a new sacrifice that was about to come on the scene. And that the work of the Gospel, the work of Jesus, the work of his sacrificial death and all that it accomplished was actually the real meaning of. Of their temple worship. So Jesus says to the woman, now at the well, a time is coming and has now come when the true worshiper will worship in spirit and in truth. For they are the kind of worshiper the Father seeks. For God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. In other words, worship would now become far more internalized rather than externalized.
[00:10:29] I love what AW Tozer said. Keep a Christian from entering the church sanctuary, and you have not in the least bit hindered his worship. We carry our sanctuary within us. We never have to leave it. And so the new temple today is actually when you and I receive Christ and his spirit comes to live within us. And now we become worshipers at all times with God.
[00:10:56] When there are times of uncertainty, there's a longing to see things change for the better. And I think we can all agree we're longing for that. We're saying, lord, when will life come back to a new sense of normal? And I think the disciples were very curious when Jesus had told them that what they were about to experience was going to transform their way of life. And so they asked this question in verse seven of chapter 21, Teacher, when will these things happen, and when will be the sign that they're about to take place? In other words, what should we expect and how should we respond?
[00:11:35] Who are we to believe and where do we look for answers.
[00:11:39] Now. Jesus begins to enumerate a number of characteristics that are about to happen. And he begins to describe what is going to happen in the near future and then the distant future. And he talks about how Jerusalem would be destroyed. And we know that that occurred in 70 A.D. under the Roman general Titus. And Jesus, as he was approaching the city for the last time before his crucifixion, we see him weeping over the city because he sees the terrible carnage that is about to happen in that city.
[00:12:12] Yesterday, in my own quiet time with God, I was reading the story of Jesus and coming to Lazarus and Martha and Mary and Lazarus had just died, and there was a lot of mourning and grief and weeping. And Jesus comes to the tomb and he himself is weeping. And I was meditating on that thought yesterday, and I realized, why was Jesus weeping? Because he knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. But I believe that Jesus weeps when he sees the anguish that humanity suffers because.
[00:12:44] But I want to declare to you today that we serve a God who has conquered the man's greatest enemy, and that's death itself. And that's why we're excited and we can rejoice even in spite of this catastrophic event that is happening in our world today.
[00:13:00] Jesus now warns his disciples to watch out for false messiahs and those claiming that the time is near. Often, I believe, when catastrophes happen, people quickly point out the end is at hand. Isn't that true? We're almost, you know, you see a different reaction to catastrophe. Some people are like Chicken Little running around screaming, the sky is falling. And I sense that with some people right now, it's like the world has come to an end. What are we about to do? And then we have, on the other side, there are people who are minimizing what is occurring, because I believe that they're a little bit in the state of denial.
[00:13:37] Verse 8 of chapter 21 says, Watch out that you are not deceived. Isn't that interesting that in the midst of catastrophe, Jesus is warning us not to be deceived by what is occurring around us? He says, for many will come in my name, claiming I am he and the time is near.
[00:13:57] Do not follow them. And I think often individuals prey upon the fears of the unsuspecting and. And take advantage of people's fears. And I want to just encourage us today that we don't have to fall apart. We don't have to run around listening to a whole bunch of people saying, you know, this is what's about to happen? No, we need to rest and put our trust in God. God has this under control. So the first word that Jesus says to us in a time of catastrophe is, don't be deceived by what you're seeing. I believe the second insightful word that Jesus speaks is, and he says it to his disciples here is not to be afraid. Now, how many know that fear is actually a normal human response to that which is unknown? Isn't that true? And we just tend to move to that emotion in our lives, and yet we are not to give into that spirit.
[00:14:46] Unsettling as these times are, we need to know one thing. You and I may feel like we're losing control, but God is in control. And, and the new reality in our hearts and minds should be, we've never been in control.
[00:15:01] And that should really relieve a lot of anxiety in our lives. God has always been guiding our lives all along. And so we need to learn one of the most important lessons of life and that God is in control during the good times as well as during the difficult and evil times. What we need to learn is to trust in him.
[00:15:23] I think one thing we should never do is give in to the spirit of fear, because that spirit is not from God.
[00:15:29] Fear is a powerful motivator and it generally comes and torments our minds and causes us to make wrong or panic type of decisions in times such as these. You know, why do you think people are hoarding today?
[00:15:44] The answer, they're fearful. People tend to go one of two directions in crisis. I've already mentioned that one group lives in denial and doesn't seem to take any precautions and adjustments in what they're doing, while the other extreme is to overreact.
[00:16:00] It's interesting the list of things that Jesus described would happen in our world before he renews this world and establishes his kingdom upon it. He warns us that there will be conflict, wars and revolutions, and these activities cause great instability in, in human life.
[00:16:20] He says here in verse nine, when you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.
[00:16:30] Then he said to them, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
[00:16:35] Once again we see the statement, but the end will not come right away.
[00:16:40] Notice the words of Jesus to not allow fear to overtake us. He says here in verse 11, there will be great earthquakes, there will be famines and pestilence, or viruses and plagues in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
[00:16:59] But go back to verse nine, he says when you hear of these things, do not be frightened.
[00:17:07] So we're living in this moment.
[00:17:10] We also know that as a child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ, that you and I have some beautiful element in our life, a deep assurance of eternal life. If we've placed our faith in Jesus, we now have eternal life. And John says it, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so you may know that you have eternal life. Let me move on to the third insight. Jesus tells us in the midst of these catastrophes, do not worry.
[00:17:42] Now, I don't know about you, but that seems another natural human response is to start worrying. You know, will I get sick? Will someone I love get sick? Will someone I know die? Will I die? You know, from what's happening in my life? Can God protect me from COVID 19? Or God? Can he heal me if I contract it? Can God care for me in my family and in a changing economic climate? And I want to declare to you today that God can do just those things. God is able to make a way where there appears to be none. Jesus words, regardless of the catastrophe or challenge that faces us, remains the same.
[00:18:26] Don't worry. Look at verse 12. Before all of this, they will seize you and they will persecute you. Now Jesus is speaking about not worrying what to say in the face of persecution. But I'm applying it in a broader context, and I believe it's biblical that we can apply it in a broader context, because in other texts, Jesus is telling us not to worry about certain things. But before all of this, he says, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, all on account of my name. And so you will bear witness to me.
[00:19:02] Now God is allowing challenges to come into our lives. We can read that from the text in order for you and I, as the people of God, to be a light in a time of darkness.
[00:19:14] In this context, the concern or anxiety is that we would be able to say the right thing under that kind of scrutiny and pressure. Look at verse 14. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
[00:19:35] You will even be betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and everyone will hate you because of me. I don't know about you, but that's not a Very popular verse.
[00:19:48] It's amazing how the early believers were prepared to give their life for the sake of the Gospel.
[00:19:54] They saw it as a badge of honor. They considered it a privilege to die for Christ, who died for them.
[00:20:02] Years ago, we had the privilege of traveling to Rome. And while in Rome, we got to see the catacombs. And I was astounded by the number of dead buried beneath the city of Rome. In one catacomb alone, it ran for 17 km under the city. And they estimated that there were 150,000 burial sites in which whole families were buried. In other words, millions of people are buried under the city of Rome.
[00:20:30] It was in the catacombs where the early believers gathered together to worship in order to avoid detection.
[00:20:38] Many martyrs are buried there.
[00:20:40] What's fascinating for me is that the Greek word martyr, which is actually the word for witness, became known and synonymous with the idea of dying for our witness. Because so many of those early believers, that's exactly what happened to them. Many were slaves who were living terrible earthly existences and saw dying for Christ as an incredible honor. They realized that Jesus death had given them a reason to live, even in a very different difficult earthly existence. And I want to encourage us that Jesus death has given us a reason for you and I to live, even in spite of a time of difficulty.
[00:21:24] Faith realizes that God is in control, that he loves us, that he's able to guide our steps and provide for us in very difficult times and situations. So for those who are worried about tomorrow's provision, let me give you this promise from the Word of God found in Matthew, chapter 6, verse 31 to 33. So do not worry saying, what we shall eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that we need them. But first seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be given to you. Now I want to just give you the last word that Jesus, I believe, wants us to respond in this fashion in light of this catastrophe. It is framed in the idea that we're to stand and remain true to him in spite of the things that life brings our way. Luke 21:19 says it this way, but standing firm, you will gain life. Do you know in the Old Testament there are two significant creation and redemption.
[00:22:33] In other words, God creates a perfect world, and then sin enters into that world through human disobedience, and all of the created world begins to decay and perish.
[00:22:49] How many know God didn't just stop there and Say, oh, there's the big problem. I don't know how to fix it. No, he had a plan to restore it and restore us as human beings to that state where the image of God is being renewed in our lives because of his redemptive act. Now, we know from the New Testament, and ultimately every redemptive act is pointing to the ultimate redemptive act, which is Christ dying for us for our sins.
[00:23:16] But here in the Old Testament, probably the greatest moment of redemption was found when the Israelites were now being led out of slavery and they were standing at the shore of the Red Sea.
[00:23:27] And in that moment of apparent catastrophe, God spoke through Moses and told the terrified people these amazing words found in the book of Exodus. Moses answered the people, do not be afraid, stand still or stand firm, and you will see the deliverance or the salvation of the Lord who will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. In other words, the harm that is about to befall you will not happen to you.
[00:23:59] So what does Jesus tell us when all of these catastrophes begin to come upon our world? I love this verse found in Luke 21 and verse 28. He says, when these things begin to take place, stand up, lift up your heads, your redemption is drawing near. What does that mean? Jesus is saying, listen, I'm here and I'm ready and able to bring about this amazing deliverance in your personal situation and ultimately in the human situation.
[00:24:34] Here in our text, Jesus sees the day, as I've already suggested, when Jerusalem would be destroyed. And it says in verse 20 of chapter 21, when you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation or destruction is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment and fulfillment of all that has been written.
[00:25:03] Now, this instruction actually flowed against the prevailing wisdom of that time. Generally, people near a city during a time of invasion would actually run inside the city and hide behind the walls for protection.
[00:25:17] But here Jesus is saying, leave the city, for it can't protect you because it's under the judgment of God. And sometimes I wonder how many people are trusting in something for their protection that is under the judgment of God. If that's the case, we'll suffer as a result.
[00:25:36] So you say, where are we about to run? I think we need to run to God because these individuals as a generation had rejected God's provision of deliverance. And what was that provision that God himself, in the person of Jesus, was among them as Savior. And they rejected him. Not all of them, but some of them had. And because of that, these people were going to experience the judgment of God. Of all the people on this planet, we should not be overwhelmed by the coming upheavals that sweep across our planet.
[00:26:13] The good news is that these difficulties are announcing the coming of our Savior. Our life here on Earth is really just a dress rehearsal to what lies ahead.
[00:26:26] And so you say, what lies ahead?
[00:26:28] We are being prepared to experience what lies beyond this life. And I like what Max Lucado says.
[00:26:34] He says of all the people on the planet, we should not be overwhelmed. Sorry.
[00:26:42] As we get older, he says, our vision should improve.
[00:26:46] Not our vision of Earth, but our vision of heaven. Those who have spent their life looking for heaven gain a skip in their step as the heavenly city now is coming into view. We would think it bizarre for a traveler not to be prepared for the end of the journey. Isn't that true?
[00:27:04] We would pity the poor passenger who had never read his itinerary. We would actually be bewildered by someone who thought the purpose of the trip was the trip. How many know you're on a trip to get somewhere? Folks, you and I are on a trip. We're preparing to get to our ultimate destination, which is far better than any place that you've ever been before, I can guarantee you that. So the goal of life is not just the here and now.
[00:27:30] If that were it, the majority of people on this planet throughout the ages would discover that life would have been a great disappointment.
[00:27:40] But this isn't all there is. This is just the preliminary to the big event.
[00:27:46] So now what?
[00:27:48] How can we live in this moment of potential illness, death, and economic upheaval? I think we need to hear the words of Jesus.
[00:27:57] Don't be deceived.
[00:27:58] Don't be afraid or frightened.
[00:28:01] Don't worry about what is happening or what is about to happen, but rather you and I need to come with complete trust in Jesus. Say, lord, you've always had it under control.
[00:28:14] You still have it under control. And you know what? I just want to make sure I'm ready to get to that ultimate destination.
[00:28:24] Jesus now closes his comments with a warning that we all need to listen to.
[00:28:30] We are to listen carefully, alertly, I would say, from the Old Testament. Wisely, he says, be careful or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxiety of life. And that day, the day, what day is he talking about? The day that Jesus is coming back will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
[00:28:51] These things that Jesus are describing are really diversions from really being prepared to meet our God. Dissipations are just frivolous diversions, things that waste our time and energy. I believe one of the great strategies of the devil is to entice us to waste our lives on things that don't really matter. You know, drunkenness is really whatever form you're taking is just self medicating in order to escape the realities of life.
[00:29:18] But then Jesus adds the anxieties of life. The very pressure of life can distract us from the primary aspect of life, living for him and living with the expectation of his arrival. So having heard what Jesus had to say, how should we respond?
[00:29:34] Well, Jesus said, be always on the watch. Pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
[00:29:45] So I want to ask the question in closing.
[00:29:48] Are we ready to enter eternity?
[00:29:51] Have you put your trust in Jesus? Have you turned to him and moved away from all of the deceptions that come our way, all the fears that enter into our lives, all the worries about what's happening now or in the future? You and I can be prepared by simply receiving God's love and his forgiveness, removing all of the anxieties that your soul is faced with right now. And so I'm going to have a stand. I have a few in the congregation, our worship team.
[00:30:24] And so I'm going to ask God to do a powerful work in your life.
[00:30:29] Just open your hearts.
[00:30:31] And if you're here today and you're listening to my voice on this live stream, and you don't know for sure that if something were to happen to you today, you know where you're going. Can I give you this assurance that if you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, if you turn your heart towards him and say, I want to receive your forgiveness, and you can move away from all of the lies and deception, from all of the worries and the fears.
[00:31:03] And by turning to him, you're saying, I'm going to trust you with my future, I'm going to trust you with my present.
[00:31:10] God is going to come right now as you say, Lord, would you forgive me? Would you come into my life, Jesus? Would you be the center of my being? Would you watch over my future and all that I hold dear in this life? Would you watch over that? God will hear that cry and he will respond to you.
[00:31:29] And in a few moments, Carter's gonna come back here and he's gonna tell you if you've responded to Jesus. If you prayed that prayer, Lord, forgive me, then you can communicate to us, and we'd be happy to send materials to you to help you in this new journey with knowing God.
[00:31:48] God bless you.
[00:31:50] Amen.
