Set Your Hope on the Son

Open your Bibles, if you would please, to Luke chapter 21. Luke 21, we're going to be picking

Luke 21 · chapter mention

! If you're using the pew Bible, it's going to be on page 880. Luke chapter 21. Those of you who've been

Luke 21 · chapter mention

with us over the last several weeks know that we are kind of marching to the cross. This is the Passion

Week, the final week of Jesus's life in ministry. And of course, what's going to happen on Friday

is going to shatter the expectations of the conventional Jew, the one who's kind of been

waiting for Messiah, one who's been kind of looking and longing for deliverance, but not the kind

of deliverance that Jesus intended to give, at least initially. The kind of deliverance that they wanted

was the deliverance from occupation, the deliverance from Roman rule, the deliverance from oppression,

that physical deliverance that comes in this Christ figure, this conqueror who's going to come and he's

going to establish himself, he's going to establish his throne, he's going to help to deliver the people

of Israel from the oppression of Rome. That's what they wanted, but that's not what they got, at least

initially. But what we're going to see in our passage today is all of the expectation, all of the hopes

and anticipation that really was bound up in the scriptures is a hope that is true, but it's just a

future hope. It's not a present hope. And Jesus wants his disciples to understand, as we're going to find

in our passage today, that hope isn't in deliverance in itself. That hope must always be, not just in a

change of circumstances, but hope needs to be found in a person, in a man, in a son, in Jesus himself.

And so the testimony of this passage and Jesus kind of relaying what's going to happen in this future day,

really boils down to this one truth. Place your hope in the Son. Put your hope in the Son.

And that's going to be the resounding message for all of us today. As we look through this passage

together, put your hope in the Son. And I think what we're going to find is we're not very unlike

those Jews in the first century. Those misplaced hopes that we're going to find in our passage today.

We're going to find a lot of correlation in our own life. Those misplaced hopes, those things that

are going to provide security, going to provide peace, going to help alleviate the burden, going to help

unload the pressure. All of those things we put our hope in that are not the Son are obviously

things that are going to let us down. And so this morning, if your hope is not in the Son, you're going to be

disappointed. If your hope is not in the Son, you're going to be let down. You're going to be put to shame.

But you can put your hope in the Son. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your

heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, there's salvation for you that's waiting, forgiveness,

cleansing of sin. And that's the kind of hope that Jesus came to bring. And that's the hope that will

be ushered in because of the work of Christ in this week, this Passion Week. But really, in order for us

to really understand the gravity of this text and some of the terms that are going to be used, we need

to really just kind of go back for a moment and try to put this in as small and as brief a place as I can.

So bear with me here. Jesus has talked about the Son of Man. He's kind of put that and placed that

identity on himself. And in our passage today, he's going to talk about this time of the Gentiles.

Well, what is the time of the Gentiles? He's going to talk about this time of vengeance, this time of

wrath. Well, what is that? What are we talking about? What is Jesus referring to? Well, of course, it goes

all the way back to the Old Testament and in hundreds of years before Jesus would come. Those living in

Judah and Jerusalem at the time had been given promises and had been given direct commands.

For those of you who obey the law, you can expect these blessings. For those of you who disobey the law,

then you can expect these curses. The word was clear. The testimony of Scripture was as crystal clear

as you could be. And that's exactly what happened. That's what we find that landed on those living in

Judah and Jerusalem in about 600 BC. 600 years before Christ came. Those who were living in Judah and

Jerusalem, they experienced that conquering of Babylon. Remember going back this summer to our

study through Daniel? It was because of their idolatry. It was because of their rejection of

the law. It was because they had turned their back on the true worship that God had established.

The very things that were true in this first century that Jesus wept as he's going into Jerusalem,

that they did not know, they did not see what was being offered to them. They had turned their back

on the truth. And the same thing happened. It was a foreshadowing of what Jesus was now going to

promise was going to take place to the people in the first century. And of course, those who were living

600 years before Christ were taken into captivity. The Jerusalem was decimated. The temple was destroyed.

The holy vessels were taken. And God brought some captives back to Babylon. Daniel.

And then his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. You might know them as Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego. And there they are living in Babylon. And they get placed into this school.

This elite school in Babylon where they would learn language and history and culture and mathematics.

They would learn the customs of Babylon. And they would rise through the ranks, through the power of God.

And he would establish them as counselors and as wise men in Babylon there.

And remember, as we kind of turn the page to Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had this dream.

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

This dream that troubled his spirit. And we find that in Daniel chapter 2. And he's looking for answers.

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

He wants an interpretation. He knows it's significant. So he calls his counselors. And the counselors can't

answer and interpret this dream. They can't tell what the dream is. That was the condition.

You tell me the dream and then you can tell me the interpretation. But Daniel knows God can do this.

So we find in Daniel chapter 2 verse 31 that Daniel has received an answer from God.

Daniel 2:31

And he says,

And we come to find out that these parts of this statue will symbolize these future kingdoms.

The kingdom of Babylon, which was the head of gold.

The kingdom of Media Persia, which was the arms and shoulders.

The kingdom of Greece, which was the waist and thighs of bronze.

The kingdom of Rome, which was the legs and iron.

And this future kingdom, which was a mingling of clay and iron, the toes and the feet.

This was the beginning of what Jesus will refer to in our passage today of the time of the Gentiles.

The time where Gentile nations will dominate.

And this will be the age.

This will be the testimony of time from Babylon all the way to the time that Jesus comes back.

And in this vision we find in verses 34 and 35,

there's this image of a stone.

As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand.

It struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces.

Then in verse 25,

But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

That stone, of course, was the stone of God.

It was the stone that we're going to find that Daniel will discover 50 years later in another vision.

In Daniel chapter 7,

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

This vision of the ancient of days.

In Daniel 7, verses 13 and 14,

Daniel 7:13

I saw in the night vision, behold, with the clouds in heaven,

there came one like a son of man.

And he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom.

That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away in his kingdom,

one that shall not be destroyed.

And so the expectation of the Jewish nation,

of this future king,

was in fact a good expectation.

Based upon the reading, the clear reading of scripture,

they knew what Messiah would do.

He would establish a kingdom.

He would establish a throne.

His kingdom would fill the earth.

The problem was,

their timing was off.

And so Jesus,

as he's sharing this prophetic witness here,

in our passage in Luke,

we find in verse 22 of chapter 21,

now we're back to Luke chapter 21,

Luke 21 · chapter mention

back in our passage,

Jesus says this,

For these are the days of vengeance,

to fulfill all that was written.

God will fulfill his word.

And God will fulfill his word in the way that you have read.

In a way that's clear.

So when's the timing?

Well, we're going to find the timing in our passage this morning.

But it's all going to culminate in a final event that we find in Luke chapter 21,

Luke 21:27

verses 27 and 28.

And they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and glory.

Jesus, this Son of Man,

is the central figure,

is the predominant figure,

the feature of this prophecy that Jesus is providing.

And it's all going to be set in motion by another event

that the people living in the first century did not expect.

Jesus talks about this back in Luke chapter 18.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

In Luke 18, if you're there with me,

in verse 31 it says,

In talking, or excuse me,

in taking the twelve,

he said to them,

See, we are going up to Jerusalem,

and everything that is written about the Son of Man

by the prophets will be accomplished.

But it's going to be ushered in a way they did not expect.

It says in verse 32,

For he will be delivered over the Gentiles.

He will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.

And after flogging him, they will kill him.

And on the third day, he will rise.

But they understood none of these things.

This saying was hidden from them.

And they did not grasp what he said.

The death and resurrection of Christ

would usher in the beginnings of this promise.

This long-awaited promise.

Because the deliverance that they needed first

was the deliverance for salvation.

Deliverance from sin and death.

So Jesus is going to provide some help

for these disciples

in really centering their focus

in their hopes,

in their confidence

on that which is supreme,

the Son of Man.

Set your hope on the Son.

So that brings us to our time this morning.

We're going to begin in verse 5.

And we're going to find,

through the course of our passage today,

six ways that the disciples

and those living in the first century

had set their hope on other things.

And Jesus wants to continue to help them

to center their hopes

on that which is fixed

and firm and supreme

in the Son.

He begins in verse 5.

Don't set your hope

on a religious system.

Don't set your hope

on a religious system.

We see that in verse 5 and 6.

Notice,

It's been a long day of teaching.

We've seen Jesus in the temple.

He comes there in the morning.

He teaches throughout the day.

And we've seen over the course

of the last couple of weeks

where Jesus is teaching the people.

He's answering questions.

He's giving warnings.

And now here,

at the end of this long day of ministry,

we find from the other gospel records

that Jesus now will begin

to exit the temple mount.

We find that in Mark chapter 13,

Mark 13:1

verse 1,

where it says,

And as he was leaving the temple,

one of his disciples said to him,

Lord, look, teacher,

what massive stones,

what magnificent buildings.

And Jesus said to them,

Do you see these great buildings?

There will not be left here

one stone upon the other

that will not be thrown down.

The disciples comment on the grandeur

of this temple complex.

And of course,

it was a massive structure

that warranted their wonder.

Under Herod the Great,

the temple experienced

a massive reconstruction,

which began around 20 B.C.

and continued till 63 A.D.

Solomon's temple was exceeded

in beauty and in size.

We can see,

I have a little footprint

of the temple.

You can see on the top left-hand side,

Solomon's temple,

and on the bottom right side,

Herod's temple.

You can see the contrast

in size,

in scale.

Herod built a new foundation

in walls

that stretched 400 yards

by 500 yards.

And just to give you

some way to get that

in your head,

to compare that in your mind,

if you go from the front street

to the back of our property,

that's 438 yards.

So that's 438 yards

and then you turn it on its side

and then go 500 yards

that direction.

It's about 41 acres of land.

That's the footprint

of this massive structure.

The stones that were used

to build this temple,

the historian Josephus

described the size

of being 45 cubits

by 5 cubits

by 6 cubits.

Now, again,

to put that in scale

for us to get our heads around,

45 cubits

is about 67 feet

by 9 feet

by 7 1⁄2 feet.

So if you take this screen up here,

it's about 12 feet wide

by about 9 feet tall

and then you have a stone

that stretches all the way

back to the sound booth.

That's the size of the stones

that we're talking about.

Massive stones!

And of course,

they are like floored

with the magnificence

and the beauty

and the size

of the structure.

The stones were made

out of polished marble.

And so,

this towering structure

and you can see

kind of a graphic

of that

in the next slide here.

Kind of a symbol

of that.

The stones

that were there

towering over

the Kidron Valley

were so large

and so expansive

that it looked like

white snow

on a mountain top

because of the way

it glistened.

And then,

the disciples mentioned

the gifts

that were on the walls

and those gifts

were plates of gold

that were hung

on the eastern wall.

And so,

as the sun would come up

over the Mount of Olives,

it would shine

on that glistening wall

and the light

would reflect back

over into the Kidron Valley

and over into

the Mount of Olives

and this spectacle

of light

that was shining

all around.

And of course,

they're marveling

at the scene.

Look at this

massive structure.

Look at this temple.

Jesus will address

their marveling

and we'll talk about

how at some point

in the future,

not one stone

will be standing

on another.

That statement

must have perked

their interest

and so,

as they continued

their walk,

we find again

from Mark chapter 13

Mark 13:3

verse 3

that now they make

their way over

to the Mount of Olives

and we can kind of

envision this scene

in this first slide

that kind of shows

this picture

of Jerusalem

as they're sitting

on the Mount of Olives

and it says

that Jesus was sitting

on the Mount of Olives

opposite the temple

Peter, James, and John,

and Andrew

asked him privately,

tell us,

when will these things

happen

and what will be

the sign

that they are about

to be fulfilled?

Jesus will

lay out for them

answer those

specific questions.

He wants them

to understand

that as great

as the temple is,

how much of their hope

is resting in

that temple

itself,

not one stone

will be left

on the other.

And he begins

to answer that question

for them

in verse 8.

He says,

see that you're not

led astray,

many will come

in my name,

I am he,

time is at hand,

do not go

after them.

You've got to

hand it to the disciples.

However

perplexed they might be

about what Jesus

is talking about

and the stones

that are going

to be toppled

of the temple

and the wonder

of the temple

itself

and the centrality

of this place

for the people,

their expectation

of what Jesus

was about to do,

his triumphal entry,

the purging

of the temple,

the whole city

gathering together,

those who are

hanging on his

every words

and the authority

of Christ,

he exercised

over these religious

leaders

and knowing

that the temple

was the centerpiece

of the nation

and yet,

somehow this temple

was not going

to be in the picture.

Remove the temple

and you remove

everything

that makes

Israel distinct.

That must have been

what they were thinking.

But this is precisely

what Jesus

had predicted

when he spoke

to the woman

at the well.

In John 4,

John 4:21

verse 21,

he says,

Woman, believe me,

the hour is coming

when neither

on this mountain

nor in Jerusalem

will you worship

the Father.

But the hour

is coming

and now is here

when the true

worshiper

will worship

the Father

in spirit

and truth.

For the Father

is seeking

such people

to worship him.

Jesus came

to change

the context

of worship.

He,

as you know,

by his death

and resurrection,

the veil

was torn

in two

and that

which separated

the worshipers

from the presence

of God

was taken away.

Christ was ushering

in a new age

established

on a system,

not on a system

of religion,

but established

on the person

of Christ himself.

I wonder

how many of us

have put our hope

on a system

and not placed

our hope

on the very

Son of God.

I wonder how many

of us will go

through the motions

just like those

living in the first century.

We do

our normal things.

We go to church

when we're supposed

to go to church.

We follow the rules.

We're kind

to our friends.

We are good

co-workers.

We're good parents.

We raise our children

or if we're children

we obey our parents.

We do the things

that the system

tells us to do

and we rest our hopes

on those things

instead of resting

our hope

squarely

on the Son.

Jesus wants

those who are living,

especially his disciples,

to recognize

not to put their hope

on a system

of worship

but to put their hope

on the Son.

As we find

in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:8

verses 8 and 9,

it says,

for by grace

are you saved

through faith

and that not of yourselves

it is a gift

of God

not of works

so that no one

can boast.

If you are here

this morning

and you're placing

your hope

on anything

but Christ

you're going to

find yourself

greatly disappointed

when those hopes

will eventually

expire.

When those hopes

will evaporate

because the only hope

that remains

is a hope

that we have

in Christ

and the Son.

So don't set

your hopes

on a religious system.

Set your hope

on the Son.

And Jesus moves on

in verses 7 and 9

and he wants them

to know

don't set your hope

on false promises,

on false prophets,

on false people.

He says in verse 7,

he says,

excuse me,

beginning in verse 8,

see that you do not,

you are not led astray

for many will come

in my name saying

I am he

and the time

is at hand.

Do not go after them

and when you hear

of wars

and tumults

do not be terrified

for these things

must first take place

but the end

will not be

at once.

There's going to be

a gap of time

Jesus says.

Your expectations

of this future hope,

the coming

of this future son.

It's going to happen

but it's not going to happen

in your time frame.

There's going to be

a gap.

There's going to be

a departure

and a return.

It's going to give

way to all kinds

of people

who are going to come

during this gap

to claim to be me.

Time is still distant.

Those people

are going to

make promises.

Those people

are going to claim

to speak for me

but don't listen

to them.

Don't follow them.

Know that there

are some telltale signs

of those kinds

of false teachers.

They're going to claim

to be the Christ.

They're going to claim

that the time

is at hand.

They're going to

try to remove

from you

the suffering

and the challenges

that you're experiencing.

Discernment

will be needed

by the disciple

to not be drawn

into these false claims

that these teachers

will make.

Peter,

the apostle

in his epistle

in 2 Peter 2

2 Peter 2:1–3

verses 1-3

helps to provide

some hallmarks

of these false teachers,

these false promises

when he says,

false prophets

also arose

among the people

just as there

would be false teachers

among you

who will secretly

bring in

destructive heresies.

Even denying

the master

who bought them

bringing upon themselves

swift destruction

and many will follow

their sensuality

and because of them

the way of truth

will be blasphemed

and in their greed

they will exploit you

with false words.

Their condemnation

from long ago

is not idle

and their destruction

is not asleep.

Pay attention

to their words.

Pay attention

to their teaching.

They're going to be

teaching false

and destructive heresies.

Be a person

of the word.

Be a person

who understands

the message

that you've been given,

the doctrines

of scripture.

Be able to

differentiate

between what

they will say

and what you know

to be true

from the word of God.

Don't allow your heart

to be drawn in

by their sensuality.

Don't be drawn in

by their desire

for things.

Their greed.

They will exploit you.

They're going to

take advantage of you.

But ultimately

their condemnation

is going to

come upon them.

Their destruction

is going to

land on them.

But don't be fooled.

Allow the word of God

and the testimony

of the scriptures

to be your guide.

To be your compass.

Don't listen to them

when they say

that you've missed

the resurrection

for example.

Paul will deal

with this

in 2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2:17

verses 17 and 18.

He says,

Among them

are Hymenaeus

and Philetus

who have swerved

from the truth

saying that the resurrection

has already happened.

They are upsetting

the faith of some.

Rather,

let the word

be your foundation.

Let the son of God

be your Lord.

Be your hope.

Don't set your hope

on false promises.

As attractive

as those promises

may seem

as wonderful

as it might be

to think

that you can escape

certain problems

if you do

the things

that they're telling

you to do.

Don't set your hope

on that.

Set your hope

on the word.

Set your hope

on the son.

Then in verses

10 to 18

we find

don't set your hope

on future peace

or the offer

of peace.

Beginning in verse 10,

then he said to them,

Nation will rise

against nation.

Kingdom against kingdom.

There will be

great earthquakes

in various places,

famines and pestilence.

And there will be

terrors and great signs

from heaven.

Notice how total

the destruction is.

Notice how complete

the struggle is.

It's an international struggle.

It's a global struggle.

It involves kingdoms

and nations.

It's also a geological struggle.

It involves earthquakes

and famines

and pestilence.

It's a cosmic struggle.

We see these terrors

and signs from heaven.

It's a complete struggle

that involves

every component

of this natural world.

It will be unmistakable,

unavoidable,

unrelenting.

This distress

and destruction

that is going to be

seen across the globe.

It's going to be

this testimony

from God

that the end is coming.

That Christ's word

is true.

So don't put your hope

in the things

of this life,

the offer of peace

because there's not

going to be peace

either from nations

or even from

creation itself.

It will involve

national conflict

that we see.

Human history

is largely

the history of wars.

And that is becoming,

of course,

more and more prevalent

as we move along

the continuum

of history.

Approximately 75 million

people were killed

in World War I

and World War II

alone.

The wars of human history

have been significant

but they're going to be

nothing compared

to the devastating

conflicts that we find

in the book of Revelation.

It's just a foretaste

of that coming

catastrophe

that's going to be

taking place

at the end.

And then this

pointing to earthquakes

since the invention

of the Richter scale.

There have been

35 so-called earthquakes

that are 8.5 magnitude

or more.

The most powerful earthquake

ever recorded

took place in Chile

registering 9.5

on the Richter scale.

And the devastation

of the earthquakes

that have taken place

have killed

massive numbers

of individuals

in China.

In 1556

an earthquake

killed an estimated

830,000 people.

Devastation.

Those of you

who remember

the earthquake

that took place

in the Indian Ocean

back in 2004

it resulted in

this tsunami

that swept across

that Indian Ocean

and killed

over 230,000

individuals.

individuals.

The word of Christ

is a word

that's true.

Jesus is establishing

for us

his hermeneutic.

He's establishing

for us

how to understand

the prophetic scriptures.

He's telling us

what will happen

and those are

of course

the very things

that we see.

And then

in Revelation

Revelation 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6

and 8

we see

this testimony

of this

continuing

signs

in the earth

through earthquakes

and signs

in the heavens.

So don't set

your hope

on future

peace.

There's not

going to be

peace

this side

of Christ's

return.

In verses

12

through 18

we see

don't set

your hope

on a life

of ease.

Don't set

your hope

on a life

of ease.

Picking this

up at verse

12

but before

all this

they will

lay their

hands on

you

and persecute

you

delivering

you up

to the

synagogues

and prisons

and you

will be

brought

before kings

and governors

for my

namesake.

This will

be your

opportunity

to bear

witness.

Now dropping

down to

verse 16

you will

be delivered

up

even by

parents

and brothers

and relatives

and friends

and some

of you

they will

put to

death

you

will

be

hated

by

all

for

my

name's

sake.

Don't set

your hope

on a life

of ease

because

for the

believer

those who

are true

disciples

of Christ

what you

can expect

is to be

hated.

You will

be hated

if you

belong

to Christ.

That's what

Jesus promises.

Things are

not going

to go well

for the

disciples

of Christ.

Things are

not going

to go well

for the

followers

of Christ.

Suffering

is going

to

precede

the

kingdom.

The

discipline

of the

nations

is going

to

precede

the

deliverance

of God

for the

nations.

So we

expect

persecution.

And notice

the way

that Jesus

describes

this.

We expect

to be

delivered.

We expect

to be

handed over.

We expect

to be

unjustly

treated.

We expect

to be

sold out

even by

the closest

members

of our

family.

We expect

to be

put to

death.

We expect

to be

hated

by all.

Why?

Because a

wicked world

hates a

holy God.

And a

wicked world

hates the

followers of

a holy God.

It's

inevitable.

Jesus on

the night

before his

crucifixion

will speak

this message

to his

disciples.

He wants

them to be

ready.

He doesn't

want them

to be

surprised.

He wants

them to

be prepared.

And so

in John

15,

beginning in

verse 18,

he says

that very

thing.

If the

world hates

you,

know that

it hated

me before

it hated

you.

Remember

the words

that I

said to

you,

a servant

is not

greater

than his

master.

If they

persecuted

me,

they will

also

persecute

you.

If they

kept

my word,

they will

also

keep

yours.

But

all

these

things

they will

do

to you

on account

of my

name.

Because

they do

not know

him who

sent me.

Remember,

all of

this,

though,

serves

an epic

purpose.

All of

this

suffering,

all this

persecution,

all the

heartache

that we

experience,

for those,

by the

way,

who are

living in

a way

that represents

the Savior,

it all

serves one

massive

purpose,

and that

is to

strengthen

and empower

your witness.

notice

there in

verse 13,

this

will be

your

opportunity

to bear

witness.

This

will be

your

opportunity.

This

is the

moment

that you've

been waiting

for.

You

want to

be a

witness

for me?

You

want to

shine

your

light

of the

gospel

for my

cause?

You

want to

demonstrate

the

power

of God

working

in you?

You

want to

show

that

the

gospel

has

power

in your

life?

Then

don't

resist

and don't

flee

the

persecution.

Press

in,

embrace

it for

the sake

of this

gospel

witness,

this epic

gospel

witness.

It is

your

chance

to

represent

me,

to

suffer

on

account

of

me,

to

provide

this

picture

of

my

suffering,

so

that

when

people

see

the

suffering

that

you

endure

for

the

sake

of

Christ,

it

becomes

a

window,

a

window

for

people

not

to

see

you,

but

to

see

Christ

and

to

see

what

you

represent,

not

your

hope

in

this

life,

in

a

life

of

ease,

but

hope

in

the

Son,

a

life

that

points

to

the

only

hope

that

matters,

hope

in

the

Son

himself.

Bonhoeffer

said it

this

way,

the

cross

is

laid

on

every

Christian.

We

know

that,

right?

Take

up my

cross

daily

and

follow

me.

He

says,

he

continues,

the

first

Christ

suffering

which

every

man

must

experience

is

the

call

to

abandon

the

attachments

of

this

world.

Not

a

life

of

ease.

Abandon

those

attachments.

It

Christ

as

we

embark

upon

discipleship.

We

surrender

ourselves

to

Christ

in

union

with

his

death.

We

give

over

our

lives

to

death.

Thus

it

begins.

The

cross

is

not

the

terrible

end

to

the

otherwise

God

fearing

and

happy

life,

but

it's

the

means

where

it

meets

us

at

the

beginning

of

our

communion

with

Christ.

When

Christ

calls

a

man,

he

bids

him

come

and

die.

That's

the

call

of

our

Savior.

It's

a

call

of

suffering.

It's

a

call

to

endure

for

the

sake

of

this

gospel

witness

because

you

will

be

hated

but

it

doesn't

end

there.

Christ

continues

you

will

also

be

helped

as

he

says

in

verses

14

and

18

notice

he

says

settle

it

therefore

in

your

minds

not

to

meditate

beforehand

how

to

answer

for

I

will

give

you

a

mouth

and

wisdom

which

none

of

your

adversaries

will

be

able

to

withstand

or

contradict

you

will

be

delivered

up

even

by

your

parents

and

brothers

and

relatives

and

friends

and

some

of

you

they

will

put

to

death

you

will

be

hated

by

all

for

my

namesake

but

not

a

hair

of

your

head

will

perish

you

want

to

experience

the

power

of

God

working

in

your

life

you

want

to

understand

and

know

for

yourself

by

experience

his

words

that

are

coming

out

he's

opening

your

mouth

he's

placing

words

there

he's

helping

you

to

speak

the

kind

of

wisdom

that

no

one

else

can

contradict

it

only

happens

one

way

as

you

entrust

yourself

to

the

son

and

to

his

witness

and

you

embrace

a

life

that's

hard

when

it

is

hard

for

the

sake

of

making

much

of

God

and

the

promise

of

his

support

is

there

he

will

not

leave

you

alone

he

will

not

leave

you

to

yourself

he's

going

to

speak

and

open

your

mouth

don't

even

think

about

ahead

what

you're

going

to

say

because

you're

going

to

be

helped

you

can

trust

and

bank

on

the

fact

the

spirit

will

inform

your

heart

and

your

lips

to

speak

for

him

I

will

support

you

I

will

aid

you

I

will

inform

you

I

will

help

you

and

not

a

hair

of

your

head

will

perish

wait

a

second

how

is

that

possible

you

just

talked

about

my

death

that

sounds

like

a

hair

of

my

head

that's

perishing

but

not

if

your

hope

is

in

the

sun

because

no

one

can

take

away

that

hope

they

might

take

away

your

life

but

they

can't

take

away

the

sun

from

you

or

you

from

the

sun

and

that's

what

Jesus

is

pointing

to

here

as

he

will

say

in

Matthew

Matthew 10:28

chapter

10

verse

28

do

not

fear

those

who

kill

the

body

but

cannot

kill

the

soul

rather

fear

him

who

can

destroy

both

soul

and

body

in

hell

I

love

how

the

apostle

Paul

puts

it

in

Romans

Romans 8 · chapter mention

chapter

8

nothing

can

separate

you

from

the

love

of

Christ

nothing

if

you

are

in

Christ

nothing

can

separate

you

from

his

love

and

endurance

will

be

the

quality

of

this

true

power

to

overcome

every

hardship

and

help

to

set

in

front

of

them

not

a

life

of

ease

but

a

life

of

faith

in

the