What must first take place. – Luke 21:5-19

The first temple had been built by

Solomon

and it was a place of great beauty. Uh

in a description of a set of doors into

the inner sanctuary, we read this about

them.

For the entrance to the inner sanctuary,

he made doors of olivewood. The lentil

and the doorposts were five-sided.

He covered the two doors of olivewood

with carvings of cherubim angels, palm

trees, and open flowers.

He overlaid them with gold and spread

gold on the cherubim and on the palm

trees.

That's just the doors. Uh it's an

absolutely magnificent temple. Uh first

1 Kings 6 · chapter mention

Kings chapter 6, if you want to read

more of the detail, there's plenty of it

there. And the imagery that was carved

into those doors was supposed to be a

reflection of the garden of Eden. Uh we

read about the garden in the first

couple of chapters of Genesis. It is the

place where Adam and Eve, the first man

and first woman, walked with God,

meaning that they enjoyed an

uninterrupted relationship with God.

Uh but then they had sinned, rebelling

against God. And that relationship that

they'd had with God was broken. They

were cast out of the garden and their

way back to it was blocked by a

cherubam. It's carved on the door. Some

kind of heavenly creature, an angel of

some kind. And so the temple

even at its pinnacle

was a reminder both of beauty, the

beauty of God and his greatness. It was

supposed to be a physical representation

of that.

but also of brokenness

of what had been lost since Eden because

of sin.

Uh by Jesus' time, Solomon's temple

built kind of around 950 BC. By Jesus'

time, the temple had taken on even more

significance. We read in the Old

Testament of how God's people continued

to be unfaithful to him until at last

God sent judgment upon them. And he'd

warned them of this over and over again

through various prophets. But eventually

he sent the Babylonians to come and

destroy the city. And we read in 2 Kings

2 Kings 25 · chapter mention

chapter 25, Nebu Zaredan, an interesting

name, quite a cool name, I think, sounds

interesting, but not a very nice guy.

Nebu Zaredan, a captain of the

bodyguard, a servant of the king of

Babylon, came to Jerusalem and he burned

the house of the Lord.

So about 586 BC is roughly when that

happened.

70 years later, the temple was rebuilt,

but on a much smaller scale. So much a

smaller scale that once they'd finished

the foundations, those people who had

seen the first temple and then saw the

foundation for the new temple wept

because they realized it would be so

much diminished from what it had been

before. The judgment of God had justly

come upon them and this second temple

was nothing like the first.

And then we get the intertestamental

period, the gap between the Old

Testament and the New Testament. And

plenty of history happens in that time,

but not history that's recorded in

scripture.

Well, in that time, the temple is

expanded. It's actually bigger than ever

before. Contemporary accounts at the

time speak of it being, this is a quote

that's been translated obviously,

immensely opulent is the temple. Uh, one

writer, Josephus, who writes a lot about

Jerusalem and Judea at this time, says

how when the sun shone on the temple,

because it was so covered with gold, it

looked as though the sun itself was

rising where the temple was. An

absolutely glorious sight. And the Jews

felt much pride over this second temple.

Even though the building work had been

done by a gentile or paid for by a

gentile, a non-Jew, Herod the Great, the

very same Herod who ordered the killing

of all the baby boys in his attempt to

kill the Lord Jesus as a baby.

So the temple was a picture of both

beauty and brokenness.

Uh something of the glory of God and the

story of God was reflected in the way it

had been built.

And so to speak of the destruction of

the temple

was to speak of something bigger than

just a building being flattened.

To speak of the destruction of the

temple was to speak of the judgment of

God.

So on one of those days leading up to

the first Good Friday and what we now

know as Holy Week, as his disciples

speak about the impressiveness of the

temple, Jesus takes the opportunity to

speak again about the destruction of the

temple. I say again because Jesus has

already spoken about this in Luke

Luke 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19 after he'd approached the

city on a donkey on what we know as Palm

Sunday.

As Jesus speaks about the destruction of

the temple, it becomes very clear that

Jesus is speaking about not just the

demolishing of a building, but of the

wider coming judgment of God.

In fact, at the end of verse 9, he

refers to the end.

So really uh you can think of this week

as part one and next week as part two.

Matt will be handling the second part of

the passage. Today we're considering

from verse 5 up to verse 19.

So let's v read uh verse 5 again.

And while some and I think from context

we can infer that this is likely the

disciples while some were speaking of

the temple how it was adorned with noble

stones and offerings.

He said, that is Jesus, as for these

things that you see, the days will come

when there will be not left here one

stone upon another that will not be

thrown down. And they asked him,

"Teacher, when will these things be? And

what will be the sign when these things

are about to take place?"

Now, the the sign is what Matt is going

to be covering next week, the actual

events of the end. And I don't envy him.

the task. Uh, I'm sure as we were

reading it, you'd noticed this week we

look at what Jesus says before he gets

to addressing their question. The kind

of introduction that Jesus makes to

talking about the end. You see, there

are some things that Jesus would have

his disciples know

before he speaks about the stuff that

would naturally intrigue us, what the

end will be like.

Jesus is going to address the days in

which we live.

And I hope that we will hear clearly his

message for us in this time of waiting

uh before the end.

Firstly, and my first point, do not be

led astray.

Do not be led astray.

Uh there are times when it's very

careful that you do not leave the path.

Now if you know a family who are very

very lawn proud you will be aware that

they are very very insistent that you do

not leave the path. Don't step on the

grass not for standing on it's for

looking at I guess is what they think

right you be very rude to step off the

path. You must stay on your way or

perhaps more importantly I remember once

climbing down a mountain already climbed

up and on the way down a great amount of

fog and cloud descended on us so that we

couldn't see much further than sort of

20 ft ahead. Uh the mountain was

Kadaridris if you know it. It's like a

big bowl. So it's a mountain that goes

around and in the middle there's a lake

and we were coming down one side. It's

very important in that situation to make

sure you stay on the path. You stray a

little bit one way and you'll add miles

and miles onto your journey when you're

already tired from having done the

climb. Stray a little too much the other

way and you very quickly find yourself

on a very very steep drop. I remember

being quite challenged. one of those

terrifying situations where you really

are relying on your map.

Or or maybe if you're a fan of Tolken,

and I know there's a few of us here, I

think of Gandalf's words to the dwarves

as they set off into Merkwood, that they

must not leave the path or they will

never have hope of finding it again.

So the first thing, the first thing that

Jesus wants to say to the disciples,

they've asked him, "What will be the

sign of the end?" The first thing he

wants to say is that they not be led

astray. Verse 7. And they asked him,

"Teacher, when will these things be? And

what will be the sign when these things

are about to take place?" And he said,

"See that 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."

Jesus wants them to know that there are

going to be many who claim to either be

Jesus or claim to be able to read the

times and declare now is the time.

And Jesus says it twice. Notice in those

verses, you are to be not led astray and

do not go after them.

If ever there was a chance for God's

people to be distracted from the

teaching of Jesus

and led in a different direction,

it would be in relation to the end,

wouldn't it? If there was a voice

that seemed to make just so much sense

of the chaos that's going on in the

world, their voice kind of cuts through

and you're like, "Yeah, they're right.

They've absolutely nailed it.

It would be tempting to follow after

them, wouldn't it? Their solutions must

be the best solutions. Yes, we should do

what this person is saying because they

get it.

Well, Jesus tells his disciples, and

that includes us today, to not follow

after such people. Many of them will

come. There have been many. There will

be many who sound very wise and seem

very insightful.

Jesus says, "Don't follow them. instead.

Point number two, do not be terrified.

Do not be terrified.

Look at verse 8 and N. And he said, "See

that 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.

Uh so rather than being led astray by

other voices when they and so we hear

about all the kinds of terrible things

happening in the world

uh we should not be driven by terror

as if those things mean that the end has

come. Understandably many people in a

time of war have said things like that

having experienced war in their lives.

You read it again and again as you read

biographies of people who've suffered

through war. I felt like the end had

come.

Now Jesus is saying that's not true.

It doesn't mean when he says do not be

terrified, it doesn't mean we shouldn't

be emotionally affected and distressed

to hear about suffering.

He isn't outlawing concern. That would

be totally contrary to what he says

elsewhere in terms of love of other.

that Jesus is saying that these things

these things that happen are part of the

plan of God. He says do not be terrified

for these things

must

first take place but the end will not be

at once. He then elaborates on some of

the other things that happen. Then he

said to them, "Nation will rise against

nation and kingdom against kingdom.

There will be great earthquakes and in

various places famines and pestilences

and there will be terrors and great

signs from heaven.

When we read of these things, we hear of

them, see them in the news, Jesus says

our response should not be terror. That

here comes an unexpected end to the

world. You know this war has broken out.

That virus has shut down the world. That

earthquake is reshaping a continent. It

must be the end. Jesus says, "No, think

soberly. Remember that God is in

control." It's that word that is so

important, wonderfully gracious, and yet

also confounding that we find in verse

9, "For these things must first take

place.

They must happen."

uh whether the tumult the chaos is

international, national, local or

personal, the Christian can know none of

these things can happen outside of the

plan of God. For they must happen.

They must take place because God has a

plan that cannot be thwarted.

The temple spoke of beauty and

brokenness

and so does this world in which we live.

There is so much good to see and much

good that is done.

But I think only a fool would say that

this world is not also broken.

And the Bible teaches us not only to

expect beauty or only to expect

brokenness, but to see both beauty

because this world was made by our

perfect God whose ideas and creativity

are seen gloriously in all manner of

different ways. The shifting of the

seasons and maybe we want those seasons

to hurry up at the moment, right? The

soaring mountains, the delicately

constructed microorganisms.

There is beauty in this world because of

the God who has made it. But there is

brokenness too

and because the Bible speaks about how a

world made perfect was broken by sin.

Ultimately all suffering, wars, tumults,

pestilences, earthquakes, and the like

find their roots in rebellion against

God.

The fact that we enjoy any kind of good

at all in this world is evidence

of a gracious God who surely gives us

what we do not deserve.

And Jesus says that these things must

first take place.

He tells us to think soberly as we look

out into the world

before the end,

before the time in which all wrongs will

be made right and suffering will be

banished to hell.

Until then, suffering must occur

because it's part of the plan of God.

And the Bible has a lot to say about

suffering. We're not going to deal with

all the questions that might arise right

now in our minds.

But Jesus says of great suffering that

these things must first take place.

Jesus says, "Do not be terrified.

Instead, rest in the truth that there is

a God who has a plan that includes these

things. A God who cares far more about

the suffering of this world than I do.

The evidence for that being the

suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ as

the solution to all suffering.

Sin lies at the root of all suffering.

The cross of Jesus is the place where

sin is defeated.

where the guilt that our sin incurs on

each one of us is paid for if we would

put our faith in him who is nailed there

to take away the punishment that we

deserve.

Have we heard these words of Jesus?

Suffering must yet take place.

It is part of the plan of God.

Otherwise, Jesus would not speak of it

with such certainty.

But such suffering will come to an end

for those who are trusting in Jesus.

So how about this then as a way to apply

this passage? Jesus speaking about the

things that will happen before the end.

The things that are not the signs of the

end. The suffering that must happen.

How do we process the suffering of the

world?

On the whole, I think I process that

suffering through reading news stories

about it. I read what various secular

commentators have to say and I might on

a good day pray that that suffering

would come to an end before flicking

onto the next article because we all

have that strange morbid desire in us to

read about more suffering even as we're

appalled by it.

I wonder if that's really the right way

to process the suffering of the world.

In fact, I think I know it's not.

When we pray about suffering of all

kinds

as Christians, do our prayers reflect

the must that Jesus speaks.

Jesus calls us to a settled conviction

and trust in God who has a plan which

does include suffering.

It's not wrong to pray for suffering to

be brought to an end.

It isn't wrong to pray against evil

things that occur. Of course, it's not.

But prayer about suffering that never

acknowledges that it's part of God's

plan,

the must that Jesus speaks

is less than it should be.

uh do we need to spend some time I

wonder reflecting on God's sovereignty

his control over all things

and then bringing the suffering we hear

about to him

and in defiance of what you might feel

expressing to him expressing faith that

he really does have a plan in these

things that Jesus has said these things

must take place

and what would it look like to

incorporate that into your prayer life.

Is there a playlist of songs that you

could put together that helps you to

reflect on the total sovereignty of God

so that when you come to pray for a

suffering world, you do not neglect the

fact that Jesus says these things must

first take place, acknowledging the

sovereignty of God.

And would it be good for you to spend

some time wrestling with this idea with

other Christians with your Bibles in

your hands rather than just doing what

we can so easily do which is just

converse briefly about the topics of the

day and pass them by and again maybe on

a good day praying that the suffering

would come to an end. Wouldn't it be

good if we could talk about these things

and together express a faith in the

sovereignty of God who has a plan even

in awful suffering that we see in the

world?

And there's that danger Jesus warns

against of being led astray away from

Jesus, away from the settled conviction

that he calls us to and into a kind of

panic that sees no way that God could

possibly have a plan for this

when in the midst of trial and surely

God

believing that God cannot have meant

this

bringing the must of Jesus to him in

prayer and unfolding that before him is

a powerful thing.

It's following the examples of those

psalms of lament that voice our

complaint, our confusion, and asking for

faith uh to believe in what is true of

God.

Now, I love these words in Romans 5

where Paul says this. Therefore, since

we've been justified by faith, we have

peace with God through our Lord Jesus

Christ. Through him, we have also

obtained access by faith into this grace

in which we stand. And we rejoice in the

hope of the glory of God.

Not only that,

but we rejoice in our sufferings,

knowing that suffering produces

endurance.

Endurance produces character, and

character produces hope, and hope does

not put us to shame because God's love

has been poured into our hearts through

the Holy Spirit who has been given to

us.

these things must first take place. So

Jesus has taken this opportunity then uh

the disciples have been expressing

admiration for the great stones of the

temple and some of them are still there

and they're absolutely enormous.

And Jesus takes that opportunity to talk

about the destruction of the temple

which we know is about more than just

the building being demolished. He's

talking about the end. And as I say,

Matt will be coming on to that more next

week. The destruction of the temple is a

picture of judgment. Judgment is the end

of the world. That judgment is the end

that the world is coming to. Jesus has

said, "Don't be led astray

by those who claim to know that the time

has come." Jesus has also told us that

these things must take place

and so we should not be terrified. Yes,

emotionally affected. would be strange

if we weren't but not driven to a sort

of fear and confusion that is ultimately

faithless.

Can you see the heart of Jesus?

He wants his followers to be secure.

He's going to get to talking about the

sign and that's what they've asked about

and they're really interested in. And

aren't you? What will be the sign of the

end? Come back next week, right?

But before we get to that,

Jesus's heart is for their security,

for their hope to rest ultimately in

him.

There's one more thing that Jesus would

have them know. Number three,

your opportunity to bear witness.

Your opportunity to bear witness.

Uh Luke, who's the writer, funnily

enough, of Luke's gospel, also wrote

another of the books in the New

Testament. He also wrote Acts or Acts of

the Apostles to give it the full name uh

that we've attributed to it. If you have

a quick glance at Acts chapter 1 verse

Acts 1 · chapter mention

one, you'll see that it's addressed to

the same person that Luke is addressed

to, Theophilles.

And uh Acts of the Apostles covers the

events of the church in the days just

after Jesus' ascension. And it explains

how the gospel spread to various

different places. It's an account that

includes

much persecution.

And so as Luke recorded these next words

of Jesus in our passage,

and we're not entirely sure exactly when

it was written, but we can know that he

already had a good idea as to how

Jesus's words were going to be

fulfilled.

Jesus wants his disciples know before he

tells them the sign of the end

that persecution is coming. Chapter 21

verse 12. But before all this, so before

these signs, the the wars nation against

nation, which are themselves are not the

signs of the end, before that

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 name's sake.

Can I recommend if you've not read it

for a while or if you've fallen out of

the habit of Bible reading, Acts of the

Apostles would be a great thing for you

to read.

It's an exciting narrative

to see what the gospel can do and has

done. It's also a harrowing narrative.

And as Jesus says, his followers are

indeed hauled in front of both religious

authorities as well as secular

authorities.

But Jesus says those moments will be

times in which they have the opportunity

to share the gospel. Verse 13, this will

be your opportunity to bear witness.

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.

Uh now if you've been in this church for

a few years uh those words might seem

familiar. Um Matt has already preached

on something very similar to that and

that's because back in Luke 12 can turn

there if you would like to. In Luke 12

11 and 12 he says something very very

similar.

Uh Luke 12 11. And when they bring you

before the synagogues and the rulers and

the authorities, do not be anxious about

how you should defend yourself or what

you should say, for the Holy Spirit will

teach you in that very hour what you

ought to say.

Uh it could be helpful for you to go

back and listen to that sermon if you

missed it when Matt preached. He really

helpfully dealt with those verses, what

they do say and what they don't say. Uh

these verses are not licensed for

preachers just to stand up with no notes

in hand, having done no preparation, and

just start talking. Um he's talking

about a specific uh situation in which

they're facing persecution. They've been

hauled before the authorities. They

don't need to def prepare their own

defense. Instead, they should trust in

the promise of God. And it's this

remarkable thing that God will give them

or Jesus will give them. I will give you

a mouth and a wisdom which none of your

adversaries will be able to withstand or

contradict. Remember how in Luke chapter

Luke 20 · chapter mention

20 Jesus had so brilliantly dealt with

his doubters. People had come to him,

they tried to trap him. How did that

encounter end for them? They were

silenced, weren't they? They had nothing

else to say. Luke 20 26. And they were

not able in the presence of the people

to catch him and what he said. But

marveling at his answer, they became

silent.

The disciples have seen Jesus do it and

Jesus is saying, "I will give you this.

Trust in this promise."

And then there's a second promise that

Jesus draws their attention 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. But

not a hair of your head will perish. By

your endurance, you will gain your

lives.

The world hates the gospel.

The world cannot stand the great claims

that the Bible makes on the life of a

Christian. The gospel is offensive. You

are a sinner.

You deserve punishment for your sins.

There are right ways and wrong ways to

live.

Forgiveness doesn't come by you being

good enough,

but by putting your faith entirely in

Jesus from all kinds of angles.

From those who want to do whatever they

please to those who want to have their

own sense of their personal

righteousness affirmed. Hatred will come

upon the gospel and the people of the

gospel.

Jesus is very clear. persecution will

come.

We know that absolutely for sure because

Jesus himself suffered.

Families even might be torn apart by the

gospel.

And that is true in many places today

where converting to Christianity is to

be anathema, to be cast out,

to be pursued to the point of death, a

sort of honor killing.

Jesus says, "You may die at the hands of

your persecutors."

Indeed, all but one of the disciples die

at the hand of persecutors.

It's only John who wrote the book of

Revelation who isn't killed by

persecutors, but even then, he's exiled.

But Jesus says this this curious thing.

Having said, "Some of you they will put

to death. you will be hated by all for

my name's sake. And then he says,

"But not a hair of your head will

perish."

Now, clearly Jesus doesn't mean they'll

come to no physical harm. He's just said

that some of them will die.

Jesus isn't contradicting himself.

His point is that there is great

security.

Not a hair of their heads will perish.

Whatever might be done to them, whatever

they might face,

they will be kept by God.

You are kept by God.

Whatever may come.

This verse, by your endurance, you will

gain your lives. This isn't about

earning salvation.

That would again totally go against what

the Bible teaches us.

By holding on to the testimony of Jesus,

by remaining steadfast in the gospel,

not in a strength that we give, not in a

strength that we bring, but in the

strength that he gives us, we gain life,

true life, eternal life, our salvation

to the very end.

And what is our hope

in life and in death?

It is Christ alone.

Not a hair of your head will perish.

Though you may suffer,

though you may die at the hands of your

persecutors,

not a hair of your head will perish.

It seems contradictory, but it's a

glorious promise

that speaks to something far deeper than

mere physical protection.

If you are a Christian,

you are kept by God.

You may wonder. You may question. You

may doubt. You may be led astray

as Jesus warns us against. You may be

full of terror,

not believing that these things must

take place.

But the Christian is held by the promise

of God.

And wherever you've been, whatever

you've done, however you feel,

not a hair of your head will perish.

There's a beautiful promise for us.

Let's pray.

Our

gracious God and loving heavenly father,

we ask that you would take your truth,

which we have read, which we have

considered together. And Lord, that

which

you would have us really take away, that

which you would mold us and shape us by,

I pray that you would bring to our minds

and keep it there. Lord, we ask that

they might not be snatched away by the

devil.

And Lord, I pray if I've said anything

unhelpful that would be forgotten.

Lord, that your people would know what

your message is to them today.

Thank you for these words of hope

even as they speak of such difficult

things.

Lord, we believe.

Help our unbelief.

Amen.