Look Now - Apocalypse Now Sermon

Look inward. Look up. Look around. Look inward. Look what he says. Number one, look up.

In the midst of your distress, trials, tribulations, difficulty, and the end of the

world, look up. Look what he says in verse 25. And there will be signs in the

sun and in the moon and in the stars and on the earth distress of nations with

perplexity, the sea, and the waves roaring. He's describing both the end of the

world and the current end of Jerusalem during his day. He's viewing both. We saw

that last week. He says there are going to be signs in the heavens, the sun, the

moon, the stars, and the desolation of the tribulation period, the great

judgments that are going to fall upon mankind during that time. If you study

the book of Revelation in detail, it'll tell you about plagues, terrible plagues,

not seen since the days of Israel leaving Egypt. You'll see plagues like the

darkening of the sun, where the sun itself will be a third less bright than

it's ever been before. It talks about the stars of the heaven falling to the

earth and just like when you say, I saw a shooting star, you know it's not an

actual star, but a comet or a meteor going through the atmosphere. And in the

book of Revelation it says that a star from heaven called Wormwood will not

just pass through our atmosphere, but will come to the planet itself and we

will see desolation and death because of it. When you watch a movie about the end

of the world and you see these great troubled times about weather changing

and about the stars falling, about the sun not shining, about plagues that

people don't understand, and viruses that go around the world, you have to

understand where the base of all of these people's ideas come from. They come

from the Scripture. What they're doing is they're in a modern way trying to

reinterpret truths that Jesus gave thousands of years ago about what the

end of the world will actually, what actually will be like. And he says the

earth will be in distress of nations, the nations of the earth will be fighting

against each other with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring. He said the

nations of the world will be like waves crashing against each other, frothing

and fomentation all over the place. The whole world will be like a big swirling

cyclone in the midst of the sea. Men's hearts, verse 26, felling them because of

fear and expectation of those things which are coming to the earth. Notice

what he says, in this last day the men of the world will be fearful and they will

be absolutely terrified by what they're watching take place in the earth. The

powers of the heavens will be shaken. The sky itself is as it were, as if it

were falling, verse 27. Then they will see, then they will see. Notice the word

see, look at verse 27. Then they will see. What will they see? What does it say? Then

they will see what? The Son of Man. Who is the Son of Man? Then they will see the

descendant of David, the descendant of Adam, the Son of Adam coming to claim the

throne, the Son of Adam. He is coming in the clouds, the Bible says. The Son of Man

will be coming in the cloud with power and glory. Now when these things begin to

happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near. He

says, when you begin to see the world falling apart, there is one thing you

should do and that's not look down, look up. It's amazing to me how we as

Christians have a propensity to see what's going on around the world and all

we can do is look down in discouragement and despair when he says quite the

opposite, look up and see Jesus coming. The signs of the second coming will bring

terror to the lost, but they will bring comfort to the saved. Let me say that

again. The signs of the second coming, when you see the world falling apart,

when you see your world falling apart, they will bring terror to the unbeliever.

They will bring comfort to you. Why? Because you know this means he's coming

again. So do not be distressed. Do not be worried. Why? Because it's all a matter

of perspective. Police are interesting, aren't they? If you're a police officer

in the room, please don't raise your hand. It'll be embarrassing. They are. Police

are interesting to me. I'm gonna be honest with you. I try to always be honest.

Sometimes I do not like seeing the police. I don't. So that's a terrible thing to

say. Back to the blue pastor, back to blue. Oh, I do. I back to blue and I love the

blue. I love police. I've got friends in this congregation who are cops. I love it.

I think you're great. Sometimes I don't want to see you. Like I am one of the

most, the biggest supporters of that thin blue line. I love the police, but

there's one moment in particular that when I see the blue and the red right

behind me, when that moment happens, I do not want to see the police. That which I

once loved, I now despise. I think to myself, look at these bureaucrats. Got

nothing better to do than to come after good citizens like me. I'm a

minister. I'm a pastor. I'm a man of God. And I'm very busy and I have to get home

quick because my Chipotle's getting cold. So when I see the police, sometimes I am

not happy to see the police. Wow, you too, Gene. Wow. Okay. Right. Confession booth

is in the back, my friend. Alright.

Now, when you see the police going after a bad driver who's cutting in and out of

traffic and hurting people and scaring people, you sit there and be like, oh man,

that's great. So in the same moment, I hate seeing the police is the same moment

you love seeing the police. Why? Matter of perspective. As much as I hate seeing

this, I got to tell you what I really love seeing. When my family is in danger,

somebody's broken into my house and they're threatening my children. This is

what I want to see. That's what I want to see. Now, in that scenario, there's some

people that don't want to see that. My children want to see that. I want to see

that, but there are some people who don't want to see that. They're the people

who are attacking the innocent. Do you understand? That's exactly what Jesus is

saying his second coming will be like. When Jesus comes back, there will be a

vast amount of people in the world who are terrified at the fact that Jesus is

coming back and there's going to be a very small minority here like, thank God,

he's finally here. When your world is falling apart, understand this. He will

not leave you defenseless. Listen to me. Look up. Look up. Number one, look up.

Secondly, he says, look around. Look around. The first thing he says in the

midst of tribulation, whether that be historic, Jerusalem being destroyed in

70 AD, prophetic, what takes place during the future tribulation period, or

immediate, what's going on in the end of your world right now, he says, you must do

this. You must look up and then you must take a look around. Look what he says in

verse 29. And he spoke to them, the parable, saying, look at the fig tree and

all the other trees. When they are already budding, see and know for yourself

that summer is near. For you also, when you see these things happening, know that

the kingdom of God is near. He says, look up. Also look around. Hey friend, listen,

can I ask you a question? Can't you see what God is doing in the world right now?

The first thing is to get your head out of the sand and look up. The second thing

is for somebody to come alongside, pat you on the back and say, look around. Do you

see all this? Now Jesus gives a metaphor or a parable or an illustration to

explain this concept of look around. Look at what he says specifically in verse

29. When he's taken to them a parable, look at the fig tree and all the other

trees. What does that parable mean? The fig tree. Well, that may be difficult for

you as an American, me as an American, 2,000 years later, but it was not difficult

for the modern Israelite during this time. There's a symbol they understood, the

fig tree. If I were to say to you, if I were to say you, I'm gonna tell you a

story. Let me tell you the story. I was standing on a beautiful river that led

into a lake and I'm up in Alaska and all of a sudden a bald eagle flying over

the lake came down near me and it landed and it looked at me and then it took off

and as it took off a lightning bolt hit the eagle and the eagle died. You're very

smart people. I look at you and say, what do you think that means? What would you

think I was saying? What's the symbol of the bald eagle and what nation does it

represent? What would you think I'm talking about? You're like, oh man, are you

saying that God's gonna come after America? That analogy would be obvious to

all of you because the symbol of America, one of them, is the bald eagle. Jesus says,

let me tell you a story about a fig tree. The fig tree was the national symbol of

Israel. This is multiple times through multiple prophets throughout the Old

Testament. On Monday of this same week, Jesus goes by a fig tree and he stops and

he looks for figs and he says to his disciples, there's no figs. I'm gonna

curse the fig tree. The next day when they walk by, the fig tree is completely

dead. It's all a metaphor, an illustration that symbolizes the end of Israel. So what

he says is when trouble and tribulation come, look up to God, but number two, look

around. First of all, look at the fig tree, the nation of Israel, and then he says,

look at all the other trees. Well, if the fig tree is in the nation of Israel, what

do you think all the other trees are? Yeah, all the other nations. Jesus's

metaphors are not that difficult to grasp if you understand the culture in the

time. Jesus said, you want to know when all this takes place? I'll tell you when

it all takes place. Keep your eye on the fig tree and then watch what all the

nations do related to the fig tree. For those who come to church every week,

you know all I've been doing is teaching verse by verse chapter by chapter

through the book of Luke for almost two years, and we happen to come to this

passage at this moment.

Say, what do you mean keep your eye on the nation of Israel? For the last 100

years, we have seen the nation of Israel head into the spotlight like never

before, where the world's attention and focus is on it. In 1948, we see that

Israel was declared a nation. The recognition of the Jewish state, the

nation of Israel, after their war for independence from 1947 to 1949, and in

the midst of it, the United Nations steps in after the atrocities of the

Holocaust, and all of these individuals having very little place to go, they were

given back their rightful land that had been given to them by God Himself

through their ancestors. They arrived and they had, when were they kicked out of

that land? By the Romans in 70 AD. So after 1900 years, the world recognized

Israel needs their homeland back. This happened in some of your parents'

lifetime. This is not hundreds of years ago. There was no nation of Israel as it

relates to the land, but 1948. So when he talks about this idea of the earth will

be in distress of nations with perplexity in the sea and the waves

roaring like all of the nations of the world fighting each other and foaming,

he's not just saying look at Israel, he's saying look at all the nations, and

that's what you see in World War I, don't you? Again, the 20th century. They

called it the war to end all wars. This was the very first war that nearly the

entire globe participated in. War, when you study it, is not what war was then. We

go from World War I and we thought the war that will end all wars, but it did

not end all wars. All it did is hit a domino that led into the fascism of

Germany, the fascist Nazism of Hitler and his regime in the Third Reich. And

once again, the world was at war. Never had the world seen anything like this.

And once World War II was over, we almost immediately went into a third

type of war, the third what we call the Cold War, fought in between proxy

nations by superpowers, red versus blue. In your own lifetimes, you'll remember the

rise of what we call the war on terror or the rise of Islamic extremism that's

taking place not in one singular location, but locations all over the world.

War. Even now you see major superpowers like Russia moving their forces into the

Ukraine. And what many say is the next step when China will then move their

forces into Taiwan and America cannot stand by because of the resources the

United States needs in the land of Taiwan. War. And then this last week, you see

once again Hamas, a terrorist organization beginning to attack the

nation of Israel. All of this was prophesied. All of it. You see? Yep, we have a

lot going on don't we? Because we got the stock market we got to look at tomorrow

and yesterday the football games and...

And today the football games. Sorry college, thank you. So what does he say in

verse 25? All the earth distress of the nations that with the perplexity the sea

and the waves roaring. What does this all... what does all this political

perplexity mean? He answers the question in verse 31, verse 30 and 31. When they are

already budding, he's talking about the trees. When you see the trees

starting... when you see the nations starting to awaken in this way. When

they're already budding, you see and know for yourself that the summer is near.

You're not a foolish person. After winter when you see the trees begin to bud, you'd

like, oh spring is here and summer's coming. And when you see the nations begin

to awaken in wrath, so also when you see these things happen know that the kingdom

of God is near. You say, well are you terrified? No, because I'm not afraid

because it just means Jesus is coming which is kind of who I've put my whole

life into. Like it doesn't worry me. Like my whole life is for Christ and for His

kingdom.

Remember God has not abandoned this world and He will come again. See that's

His whole point. Jesus says I'm about to die, get buried rose from the grave. What's

gonna happen to you in 35 years is Rome is gonna come and destroy. By the way, here

are glimpses also what's gonna happen at the end of the world. Also here's some

messages to anybody who's going through a trial or tribulation in your own life

right now. Here's what you need to know. You need to look up to Jesus Christ. You

need to look around and realize God has a plan. He knows what's going on. He always

has. He always will. Now look at verse 32 because there is a complex thought that

we must work through instead of just skipping it. Verse 32. Assuredly I say

to you this generation will in no means pass away till all these things take

place. Now what does Jesus say in verse 32? Jesus has given a sermon to His

disciples. He says all of this is gonna happen and this generation will not

disappear off the face of the earth before all of these things happen. Well

let me ask you a question. Did all of these things happen yet? Yes or no? No

according to this. I mean some might say yes. In fact that's the view of those who

only view this sermon as historic. They say all of this is just describing when

Rome came in. The problem is there's a lot of passages in here that don't

describe what happened with the Romans. Like the moon and the stars and the sun

didn't change. The nations of the world were not perplexed. It was just Rome and

you see. And most importantly at the very end Jesus says they will look up and

see the son of man. See Jesus coming in the clouds. When Rome was attacking

Jerusalem did everybody look up and see Jesus coming again? Yes or no? No. So I

think Jesus' sermon is historic but it's also prophetic. He's seeing both. Jesus

is coming again. And so you say well then what does this word generation mean?

Because if Jesus says this generation will not pass until all the... When is this

gonna happen? Jesus says I'll tell you when it's gonna happen. It's when this

genea will not pass until it all happens. Genea. Genea is the word that we really

need to look at. It's the Greek word that would have been written to express what

Jesus said at the time. And the word genea can absolutely and often is

translated this generation. But the word the genea also is related to the

concept of genealogy or family group, tribe. I believe when Jesus says this

generation will not pass away until all of this happens. In context and

grammatically he's talking about the family group of Israel. This family

group will not pass off the face of the earth until I come again, which is the

main point of the sermon. He's saying when you go through tribulation understand

God doesn't abandon His people. This people group is gonna be just fine all

the way to the end of time. That is true of the nation of Israel and is true of

every child of God in this room. God the Father doesn't abandon His people. That's

why he says in verse 33 heaven and earth will pass away but my words will in no

wise pass away. He said this whole thing will fall apart but I'll tell you one

thing that will not fall apart. Here's what he's saying. One thing that will never go

away is my word and promise to protect you. Now look at me, look at me. I know

some of you love history and you're thinking about the Romans coming and

taking over Jerusalem and I know some of you love prophecy and you're thinking

about the end of the world but I'm telling you in the midst of your

tribulation right now, his promise is he will never leave you nor forsake you.

You need to look up and look around at the signs. Why? Because like Jeremiah said

to the nation of Israel God's beloved people he said in Jeremiah chapter 33

Jeremiah 33 · chapter mention

go to the next passage there. Jeremiah chapter 33 and verse 3, 31 verse 3, the

Jeremiah 33 · chapter mention

Lord has not appeared of old time saying, yea I have loved you with an ever-lasting

love and with loving kindness I've drawn you. Jesus says to the nation of Israel,

I have loved you before you even knew who I was and with loving kindness I have

patiently drawn you to myself. That's how God feels about his people. Cannot

underestimate this. Please don't miss the point. It's why God brought you today.

The same way God feels about Israel is the same way God feels about you. He has

always loved you before you even knew who he was and with loving

kindness and patience he has patiently been pulling you to himself. It doesn't

mean you won't go through tribulations and trials. No quite the contrary. That's

what it means to be the people of God. But what he is saying is that you will

sustain life throughout and there will be blessings of joy at the end. Don't give

up. And so what he's saying about those who went through tribulation who will go

through tribulation and who are going through tribulation now he's saying look

up look around and look inward. God does take care of his family. By the way if

you look at the nation of Israel that's happened all throughout history. You

study the war for independence of 1947 to 1949 and you watch the miracles that

God did for the nation of Israel during that time. You look at the next war in

1967 called the Six Day War where in six days the nations of the world came

against Israel and God by his providence and protection protected his people. And

in 1973 when Syria and Egypt attempted to attack and take over the Golan Heights

or push back the nation of Israel God blessed them again with another great

victory. Victory over victory over victory because God protects his people

and for some of you you're playing this intellectual game you're like well who

is God's people it's the same intellectual game that the demons are

playing about you. Well I mean is God really right I mean does God really love

you maybe you deserve what you're going through. And some of you have bought into

that lie about your own life as if you deserve all this terrible tribulation

and what God is saying is I will protect my people. God will protect you. Doesn't

mean you won't go through difficulty but you will come through difficulty. Number

one look up. Number two look around. Number three what was the last one? Look

inward. You have to look inside and that's what he says look what he says in

verse 34. But take heed to yourself don't just look up don't just look around.

Look to yourself look inside lest your hearts be weighed down. Have you ever

gone through difficulty enough where your hearts begin to be weighed down?

Alright let's be honest right now. Are you ready to get real? How many of you in

this room right now? You don't have to say what but you can say look pastor over

the last 30 days. In the last 30 days I personally have gone through something

that I have really really been tempted to be weighed down about. I'll be the

first to raise my hand I have I can point out three things in my life that

are weighing me down. How many of you are like me would you raise your hand you've

got some things? Okay this is what he's saying in the midst of your trials and

tribulations. Here's what you must do. Take a focused look inside and do not be

weighed down. Do not allow that to happen. This lack of encouragement this

discouragement that you're going through. The danger is to do what this person

does in Jesus's story. The danger of living in a place of discouragement

rather than joy. Look at what happens. Their hearts are being weighed down with

carousing and drunkenness and the cares of this life. Do you know what happens

when we go through difficulties? What we want is something to take our minds off

of it. And so sometimes we self-medicate sometimes we just want something to

stimulate our mind so we're not thinking about the problem. We put our minds

everywhere rather than putting our minds and resting them upon God.

Let's say we go carousing or we start to self-medicate or we fill ourselves up

with the things of this life that never satisfy. And he says

why do you better not do that? Why better not do that? Here's why. Because that day

will come upon you unexpectedly. In the moment of tribulation, don't you

get it? In the moment of tribulation Jesus is going to show up. And when Jesus shows up

you don't want to have your head buried in the sand of all sorts of things.

You want to be looking up. You want to be looking for Him. The reality is some

won't be paying...some whenever they came to 70 AD in the destruction of

Jerusalem by Rome they weren't paying attention. Some during the tribulation

period these tribulations say they won't be paying attention. And some right now

in the midst of your trials and tribulations you don't...you're not

taking time to see what God is actually doing inside of you. Instead we try to

mute what God is doing inside of us by getting our minds into all sorts of

other things and eliminate it. Just keep the music flowing so I don't have to

think about what's going on. He says don't do that. Verse 33. For it will come as a

snare upon all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Like a snare,

like a sudden trap, like a...like a animal who accidentally triggers a trap and

now it's trapped. He's saying that's the way the coming of Jesus will be for a

lot of people it'll be a surprise. Verse 36. But not for you. Watch therefore and

pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that

will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man. He's saying it to all three

groups. To those that are going into the Roman occupation, pay attention and

you'll survive this. He's saying to the tribulations then pay attention and you'll

survive this and go into the millennium. And the message is for you. This is

amazing about the story of Jesus. This sermon. He's speaking to three different

groups throughout history. He's saying to you, pay attention, look to God and you

will live through this. It's a matter of perspective. That's why the sermon is

entitled Look Now. Joy really is a matter of perspective. I remember when my wife

and I were first starting this church almost 20 years ago now. 20 years ago

now. How many of you in your 40s? Anybody here in their 40s? If you're in your 40s,

raise your hand. How many of you in your 40s? Do you ever make a joke about you

being old? Yeah, you ever make a joke about you being old? Like, yeah, I'm so old.

And people don't laugh. I do that with my kids all the time. Like, yeah, because

dad's so old. They're like, and I'm sorry, what? What's the joke?

I am. Almost 20 years ago, we started Southern Hills and when we did, I

remember Heather and I were so filled with troubles and worry because we had

huge expectations and major ambitions. And they were ambitions almost 100% for

God, a little bit for us. You know what I mean? How many of you know what I mean?

And every Sunday I would come in, we started the church so there was nobody

here and at the beginning 40, 50 people would show up in an auditorium. Ted and

Julia, remember? And I remember, I would love those moments, but can I be honest

with you? Sometimes I would despise those moments.

Because I was thinking, I know where this is going. Why can't it get there?

And so my expectations, my passions, my excitement, my ambition, it was so much

in the future of what I knew could happen that I was not having joy in the

moment. No joy. Every day a battle, every day a stress, every day a worry. At any

moment it could all just fall apart. And in my mind I thought to myself, when I

get to a certain place, it's just every, all the circumstance is going to make it

like, it's perfect, like now I'm happy, now I can sit back. And what I imagine

back then is where I am right now. And I fight the same discouragements and the

same battle of depression and the same ambition and the same unmet expectations

because now is not as good as what it could be. And so joy is just elusive

right next, in my next step. So I went to a pastor's conference. I was 25, 26

years old. My wife and I went. We went to a big church. Now I look back, it wasn't

a mega church or anything, but for us it was like a huge church conference in

California. And I went there and we, I sat in the third row and I sat there and I

took notes. Everything the pastor said, you got to do this, I'm like, I got to do

this, got to do that, got to do that. I'm writing it all down because we're going to

do something. I'm going to get rid of all these troubles and these trials and these

tribulations. We're going to make it happen. And I can remember like it was

yesterday, the pastor who ran that conference stopped me. Somehow he had

learned my name and he stopped me. He said, Josh, I said, yeah. He said, I heard

what's going on in Las Vegas. You successfully planted a church. Yeah. And

what I thought he was going to do is give me like three or four ideas of how I

could become amazing like him. He didn't. He looked at me and he said this. He said,

Josh, can I just say to you, I know you've got big things. God's got big things.

But just try to enjoy the stage of ministry you're in right now because

it's going to go by quick. And I can remember him saying it. I can even

remember the words, but I also remember the feeling. I remember thinking, okay,

yeah, but what's the real advice? Here's what he knew that I've, I'm coming to

learn that if I can't enjoy the trials and tribulations and the

difficulties of that moment, I'm not going to enjoy the trials and tribulations

and difficulties of this moment, nor of the next, nor of the next, nor of the next,

because what Job, our depressed friends says is true. Man's days are few and

full of troubles. Joy is a matter of perspective, even in the midst of

tribulation. That's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you for teaching me this.

Thank you for watching the Southern Hills YouTube channel. Make sure you

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And remember, we exist to make disciples for Jesus Christ. Have a great week.

Peace.