Luke, The Orderly Account of Truth - Heed the Heads Up - Luke 21:5-24

We're going to be in Luke chapter twenty one today,

so you can grab that your bibles open them up

to Luke chapter twenty one. We have a bigger chunk

of texts today. We're going to be going through verses

from five to twenty four.

And as you're.

Turning there, we've been in a series called Luke The

Orderly Account of Truth. We've been going verse by verse

through the Gospel of Luke because Luke did a careful

investigation of Jesus' life and ministry, and he wrote this

specific book or this gospel to a man who lived

at a certain time in history. To believe that the

Gospel of Luke was written in the early sixties AD,

and this is going to be very important as we're

going through our text today to keep that in mind.

Luke wrote his Gospel for Theophilus, and we get the

benefit of learning from it as well. But you wrote

it for Theophilus, and he wanted him to have certainty

about the truth, the truth about what well, the truth

about who Jesus is and what he taught. That was

what his goal was for and the reason it's important

to know who Luke wrote his gospel too, and when

he wrote his gospel. Is because in our text today,

Jesus is going to say some things about the future.

It's going to say some things about the future. But

what some of what Jesus says about the future has

already happened when Theophlis received the Gospel of Luke. Some

of it's already actually happened, but some of it is

still yet to come. So I say Theophilus is living

in the in between times.

He's in and in between time.

He can look back the last thirty years of his

own life and he can point to us certain specific

moments in history and say, Jesus said this was going

to happen, and it happened. He can look back at

his life and see the things that Jesus said was

going to happen and specifically.

When they happened.

And if that's the case, then he can know that

what Jesus said is going to happen after is going

to happen as well. He can have confidence knowing that

the future things that have yet to happen in his

life are still going to happen.

They're on the way.

The events tents that have happened serves as a sign

of what's to come next.

And this week.

In next week's message, it's kind of a two part message,

so Pastor Duncan will take over for next week. We

kind of cut what Jesus is saying in half, and

it would be a lot for us to put it

all into one message, so we decide to put it

into two separate messages. And you're going to see the

true conclusion about of what Jesus is saying in next

week's message. But there is so much that we get

to learn about what Jesus has to say in this

first half. So I'm going to read, then we're going

to pray, So let's do it. Luke Chapter twenty one,

verses five through twenty four. And while some were speaking

of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones

and offerings, he said, as for these things, you see,

the days will come when there will not be left

here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

And they asked him, teacher, when will these things be

and when? 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 to 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.

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. 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 name's sake,

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.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers,

and relatives and friend ends, 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.

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know

that its desolation has come near. Then let those who

are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those

who are inside the city depart, and let not those

who are outside or out in the country enter it.

For these are the days of vengeance to fulfill all

that is written alast for women who are pregnant and

for those who are nursing infants in those days, for

there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath

against this people. They will fall by the edge of

the sword and be led captive among all nations, and

Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the gentiles until

the times of the gentiles are fulfilled. Let's pray, Gow.

We thank you for your word, our spiritual food. God,

give us ears to hear your message today, and let

us apply the things you would teach us in it.

Let us not be shy or straight away from the

challenges that you bring up in the scripture. Let us

boldly stand in front of them, ready to take on

the challenge you put before us. And God, we look

to the encouragement you give us as we go through

your scriptures today. The encouragement that will help us walk

in the way that you've called us to walk. So God,

we just think you that we have the ability to

open your word with each other among the fellowship, and

we're so grateful for that blessing and benefit. We thank

you for all this in Jesus name.

Amen.

All right, there's a lot of text. Who are my

planners in here? Raise your hand? Who likes a solid plan,

likes to know the details or every detail before you

start doing.

I want people raising other people's hands for them. It's great.

Like you're going on a road trip, you have to

know every single stop that you're going to make on

the way, as opposed to the spontaneous ones like we'll

just figure out as we go.

I don't really think I'm that way.

I mean I might have been used to be that

way little more when I was younger, but not anymore.

I'm like, I want to know every gas station we're

stopping us so we don't run out of gas on

the way. I want to know the plan for everything.

Some of you know that our youngest just got surgery.

He got his tonsils and adenoids removed last Saturday, and

it was really really cool getting to talk to the

surgeon and the nurses because they gave us all the

details that we need to know. They wanted to help

give us all the information so we knew what to

expect and when. So they told us what the whole

process was for putting him under anesthesia. They said, the

first thing in a little bit of medicine, then they'll

do the gas, and then they'll do the IV, which

is great because if you walk in there and say

here's the needle time for the IV to a nine

year old, he's going to freak out a little bit, right,

So it was nice to know what the process was

going to be for him and for us. They also

told us the exact process of the surgery and how

long it would take, how long he'd be away before

he's brought back into the recovery room. That's nice to

know for parents who were worried while their son is

in surgery for the first time in his life. They

also told us how sleepy he was gonna be when

he came back, and he was sleepy. He was like

laying on his side, eyes barely open. He's trying to

watch the cartoons on the TV. And he's like, Dad,

I did it, and I was like, dude, you did it.

I was so proud of him because he was nervous.

I was told to tell him too, whenever you get

scared and nervous, two things you got to remember. Say

a prayer in your head and think about the swords

that we ordered from Amazon, because we ordered some some

swords to be brave. So it's nice to know some

of those details. They also told us what to watch

out for if he has bleeding in the back of

his throat or if he has severe pain. They also

gave us a plan for how to help with this

pain in medicine schedule.

This is good stuff to know.

They told us what he can and can't do or

eat while in recovery. He just started soccer this past week,

so he gets to go to practice and watch.

It's terrible. He hates it because he wants to play

so bad.

But they gave us all this information, helpful information ahead

of time, so we knew what to expect. I mean,

we're we're like this kind of in general. It's why

we watched the weather. We want to know should I

wear a coat today?

Is it going to rain? Do I need an umbrella?

Is it hot and awesome, so I can wear flip

flops in the tank top. That's why we watch the weather.

What about signs on the road, sharp curve ahead, that's

a good warning. It's a sign to give us a

heads up there's a sharp corner we should probably slow down.

Or flashing lights at a crossroad, a railroad crossing. It's

nice to know when the train's coming so I don't

get hit by the train. Train always wins in that situation,

by the way, but I was reading this past week

about tsunamis, and I was like, the greatest and biggest

warning sign that a tsunami is coming is when there's

an abnormal receding of the waves. So you see the

waves go further back than they normally do. Now that's

a sign of that there's going to be a huge

wave coming. Is this the time to go start picking shells?

Or is this the time to run to high ground?

We want to run to high ground because we given

a warning, right Because what good is a sign or

a heads up if you don't regard it. What good

is a warning if you don't heed it. So I

titled today's message heed the heads up, Heed the heads up,

because Jesus in our text today, he's giving the people

a heads up on what they can expect in the future.

That something's coming up, and he's letting them know ahead

of time, this big thing is going to happen, but

before that, some things must happen. But then he also says,

and before those things happen, something else is going to happen. First,

he's kind of walking it back. He's saying, this is

a big thing is going to happen. Before that, something's

going to happen, but even before that, something else is

going to happen.

He's giving a.

Play by play of how everything is going to go down.

He tell and even tells him what to do while

they're waiting. And this all happens as Jesus is leaving

the temple.

For the day.

He's been going to the temple every morning, arguing with

all the religious leaders and then leaving the city or

leave ye leaving the city every night this week.

But he's leaving the temple for the day.

He sees the rich people giving their gifts, and he

saw the poor widow give her gift.

So we talked about last week, and.

Then his disciples start talking about these beautiful stones, that

the temple is built out of massive beautiful stones.

Verse five. And while some were speaking of the.

Temple how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings,

he said, as for these things you see, the days

will come when there will not be 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? This temple was one of the most

beautiful buildings around. It's a structural marvel. Not only is

it built out of these massive decorated stones that were

quarried and looked beautiful, but.

Also there's portions of it that were covered in gold.

So reading this past week, there are certain times you

couldn't even look at the temple because the sun was

bouncing off the gold side. You literally couldn't look at it.

It was like so bright and brilliant that you couldn't

even look at it. This is a beautiful, beautiful building,

So that disciples are talking about how beautiful it is,

and Jesus says, there will be a time when this

is destroyed, where this is gone, and for us this

might not be.

A big deal.

So what a big fancy building gets destroyed. But this

is a big deal, an incredibly big deal for the Jews.

What does a temple represent? It's the meeting places where

a man goes to meet with God. So if that

temple's destroyed.

What does that mean? Where does man go to meet

with God?

It's the place they would go to make their sacrifices

to be cleansed from their sins, and during Passover each

year it was possible, they say that more than a

million Jews would come to the temple.

A million Jews would come to the Jerusalem and go

visit the temple.

So this building is extremely important to the Jews, so

it makes sense why his disciples would say, when is

this going to be destroyed? Jesus says, not a single

stone will be left upon another, and they're like, when's

that going to happen? You just told us that the Temple,

our most important building in our most important city, was

going to be destroyed. So what are the signs when

this is about to take place? But before Jesus actually

answers specifically their question, he warns them in verse eight

and he says, see that you were not led astray

tells them something right out the gates. See that you

were 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 will be people who claim that they

are the Christ. We know this through history because we've

seen it. There will be people saying it's go time.

But don't be led astray.

There are false teachers, there's false prophets, there's false Christ.

It's not time yet.

So Jesus is saying, when you hear of wars or

and says tumult, that sounds or rumblings of wars. And

if you read this account in Matthew and Mark, they

say wars or rumors of wars, still not time. Still

not time yet. All this must first take place. But

the end, Jesus says, the end will not be at once,

and that means it will not follow immediately. Jesus is

calling this time when the temple gets destroyed, the end.

And it's true, the destruction of the temple, it would

be the end of an age. It would signify the

end of the Old Covenant, the old way of doing things.

With no temple, it is no longer possible to follow

some of the Old Testament laws and the Old Covenant laws.

And you guys know when this actually happened in history.

Happened in seventy eighty.

In seventy a d rome came in and ended the

Jewish revolt and completely destroyed the city of Jerusalem and

obliterated the temple. Not one stone was left upon another.

That was the end of things as the Jews saw it.

This is the end.

But Jesus says, before this end happens, there will be

false Christs and wars. So don't be led astray by

other people. He's saying, heed the heads up. I'm giving

you a heads up, a warning, heed it, letting you

go ahead of time so you're not deceived. And then

Jesus goes into some more about these signs and what

will happen before the end in verse ten. 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.

Well, that all sounds pretty ominous. That's kind of bad.

Oh you mean before the end, it's gonna get mega

terrible great, that's awesome. This is bad news for them

to hear all this information. This is heavy stuff. And

Jesus said all of this in thirty three AD. So

this past week confession time, I got really nerdy about

the history stuff and I.

Got pretty excited about it. So you're gonna get a

little history today.

But it's really really important stuff for us to understand

because I think it's gonna bolster our faith to know

actual historical things that have happened. Because Jesus says all

of this in thirty three AD during his ministry towards

the end. Right, he's in Jerusalem. This is where he's

gonna get crucified, So where jesus life on Earth will

end thirty three AD, and he's talking about the destruction

of Jerusalem and the Temple in seventy eighty. So what's

going on between thirty three AD and seventy a D

in the area.

What's going on?

Well, at the time, Rome is the world's superpower and

they're at odds and war with.

Everybody in the area.

Basically everybody, and Rome was expanding its territory most rapidly

under Emperor Claudius between forty one and fifty four AD.

Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, wars and tumults, wars

and rumors of wars. They're happening here. But what about

the earthquakes, famines, and pestilences. And if you do a

little more history research, you'll find that there was a

Roman historian named Tacitus. And I'm going to name some

people that are not Christians, they're just historians that recorded

what happened at this time. And this Roman historian Tacitus,

who wrote about the frequent earth He wrote about frequent

earthquakes during the reign of Emperor Claudius, which we just

found out was one through fifty four a d. And

there are also several people including Josiphiss Now this is

a Jewish historian who is alive during the time, and

he wrote about this thing called the Great Famine that

happened in between forty six and forty eight AD, and

that was also under Claudius's reign. So again we're talking

about what's happening between thirty three AD. And seventy a d.

And this is also the same famine that's mentioned in

Acts eleven when the disciples asked the believers send them aid.

So we see this mentioned history in the Bible. It's

all over and there's other historians who also talked about

multiple famines all under the reign of Claudius.

Something is ramping up during this time.

Things are happening more frequently during this specific time, and

it's after Jesus said, look what's about to happen. Josephus

also wrote about how bad the pestilences were. A pestilence

is a plague or diseases that spread, So he's bad

plagues that were all during the Jewish Roman War. Well,

that Jewish Roman War started in sixty six a D.

When the true Jewish revolt started. Can you guess when

that ended? Seventy eight? That ended in seventy a D.

So Jesus is mentioning all these things and we can

look back in history when they actually happened. And the

last thing that Jesus mentioned in this verse here is

that there's terrors and great signs from heavens. Well, what

does he mean signs from heaven? Excuse me, But what

does he mean by that? And I think it's helpful

to know what Greek words were used. And if we

look at that word heaven, it's actually not referring to

the where we think angels are chilling.

It's the skies.

It literally means the aerial heavens or sky, the region

where the clouds and temp tempests gather and where thunder

and lightning are produced. So that verse is saying big

and scary things are gonna happen in the sky. Crazy

things are gonna happen in the sky. And Josephus wrote

about crazy stuff happening in the sky. Right before seventy

eighty there was a star shaped star shaped like a

sword and a comet that appeared over Jerusalem and it

stayed there for a year.

People look up and they're like, what is that. That's

a terror or great sign from the heavens.

He also writes of a night just before passover when

a bright light, so this is in the middle of

the night, a bright light lights up the inner courts

of the temple for about a half hour. And he

writes also about how people saw chariots and armies running

in the clouds around the cities. This is crazy stuff

that's happening in the skies. These terror, terrors are great

signs in the heavens. And Josephus himself says, all sounds

like a fairy tale if it weren't true.

He has people who are seeing it.

He's like interviewing these people and seeing it himself because

he lived through it. These crazy things are happening. There's

voices that they're hearing the temple that says, let us depart.

Hence that's a phrase of judgment, something that would be

said before you remove yourself from the area, and then

judgment comes upon the people. They're hearing these signs or

they're hearing these things, seeing these signs from the sky.

All in Jerusalem before the temples destroyed, terrors and great

signs will come from heaven. So what is my point

in all this history talk, because it it's kind of boring.

I don't Jesse is not in love with the history stuff, and.

I get all nerdy about it. But what's my point

in all of it.

It's because what Jesus said in thirty three AD, we

can actually look back in history and see when these

things happened.

And my hope is that you can.

What it does is puts a mortar in your foundation

of faith that we can see. Like what Jesus said,

We've said this all the time. God is the same

yesterday's day, tomorrow. What he says will come to pass.

He is trustworthy, he is faithful. We know that, and

this is just more evidence and proof of that. So

it just bolsters our strength and faith in knowing that

God will do what he says. So Jesus continues, before

all these wars and crazy signs from the skies, something

else is going to happen first.

So again he's starting from the end. He's saying, this

is the thing that's going to happen.

Before that, some stuff's going to happen, and even before that,

some more stuff's going to happen.

Look at verse twelve.

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.

From my name's sake, 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.

Verse sixteen.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers

and relatives and friends, and some of you they will

put to death. You'll 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. So even

before these crazy signs start happening, You're going to be persecuted.

Is what Jesus is telling them.

You're gonna experience persecution. Even your own family and friends

are going to be turning you in. They're gonna be

delivering you over. You're gonna be hated by all for

the sake of Jesus' name. Jesus himself said he didn't

come to bring peace but a sword. The following Jesus

might bring some dissension, even among your own family.

But when you were brought before.

The authorities, Jesus says, this is your chance to bear witness.

That is so important. This is your chance to bear witness.

Do we think of moments of persecution as opportunities to

bear witness? That's not usually my first thought. I'm like

I'm being persecuted. It's like this is frustrating. I don't

first think like, oh, I should rejoice because I'm sharing

the sufferings of Christ like the Apostles did do. I

think of these moments as opportunities to bear witness, to

share the Gospel of Jesus with others, because this is

what Jesus is telling the people to do, and that

is what the Apostles experience altered the Book of Acts.

I don't know the last time you read the Book

of Acts. You should read it again.

It's awesome. The Apostles and.

The disciples, they experienced this, being beaten and told not

to preach and teach in the name of Jesus anymore.

But what do they do? They said, who should we

obey God? Or man?

You tell me, She'll always obey God? And then they

went on preaching. They continue to preach more and more.

This is also the same kinds of things that Jesus

told the twelve Disciples when he sent him out on mission.

If you read that in Matthew chapter ten, don't try

to plan ahead what you will say. Jesus himself will

give them the words to say. And that's actually how

God works. Often he doesn't give you what you need

until you need it. I was a while ago there

was I read the story about a little girl who

was being taught about the martyrs and she said to

her dad, Dad, I don't know if I can I

have enough strength to be a martyr for Jesus. And

her dad said, well, when do I give you when

we go to the fair? When do I give you

money to buy the things you want? And she said, well,

when I want to buy the thing? And He's like yes,

And I think God will give you the strength to

be a martyr when you need it. God will oftentimes

gives us what we need when we need it, not before.

We have to walk through the thing and rely on

Him the whole way. So Jesus is going to give

the words, and this scripture says a mouth and wisdom

that no one can speak against.

That's pretty awesome.

It's basically like what he's been doing in the temple

every single day talking to people. He's been responding to

them and they can't say anything back. They're like, I

don't even know how to respond to what Jesus just

asked or how he responds to their questions. But then

after saying that he's going to give a mouth and wisdom,

he says something slightly confusing. Says that even though some

of you will be put to death, that not a

hair of your hair on your head will perish or

be lost. Well, that sounds confusing a little bit, So

what does that mean. What it means is that man

can only kill the body, but he cannot touch your soul.

Man can kill the body, but he cannot touch your soul.

Even though you'll be put to death, if you endure

in faith till the end, you will gain your life.

You will gain your life. And that word life means

your eternal life in the Kingdom of God, the life

that is destined to enjoy the Messianic salvation, that saving

that comes from the Messiah. He's telling his disciples endure

through the persecution.

No matter what.

No matter what persecution you who comes against you, endure

through it all because those who endure it to the

end will be saved and they will receive the crown

of life. And for the last part of our text,

Jesus kind of goes back into talking about the end

seventy eighty and he gives another warning. So look at

verse twenty. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,

then know that its desolation has come near. Then let

those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and

let those who are inside the city depart, and let

not those who are out in the country enter it.

For these are the day a vengeance to fulfill all

that is written, a last for women who are pregnant,

and for those who are nursing infants in those days,

for there will be great distress upon the earth and

wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge

of the sword and be led captive among all nations,

and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the gentiles

until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled. So now

Jesus gets to the final sign. This is your last warning.

This is the final thing you're gonna see. The people

wanted to know when the temple was gonna be destroyed,

and Jesus gave him the answer. When you see Jerusalem

surrounded by the armies, get out. Telling you when you

see it surrounded, get out. It's the last warning. And

that's what happened in seventy eighty because Rome surrounded and

besieged the city during Passover. Guys, remember how many people

came to the city and to Jerusalem during the passover

million more.

This all happened during Passover, and the.

Walls that the Jews thought could never be destroyed they fell.

The city and the temple were leveled. So some people

argue that somewhere around a million Jews were killed that day.

And Jesus is warning the people. When you see the

army surrounding Jerusalem, it's time. Jerusalem's desolation is near. Get

out of the city, run to the hills. I'm warning you,

I'm giving you the heads up. There will be a

great distress upon the earth. And that word earth means land,

a country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, at tract of land, territory,

or region. So in that space, in that place, in

that land, there will be great distress and wrath.

Against this people.

So what's going to happen is going to happen here

in Jerusalem, and it is going to happen to the

people here. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is

an act of God's judgment and wrath, his wrath on

the people for the rejection of Jesus and continual sin.

We talked about it. When Jesus wrote into the city,

he was weeping. Why was he weeping because he knew

of the future judgment that was coming upon Jerusalem, the

city of Jerusalem and the people.

And God is broken hearted.

Even though he knows that judgment must happen for sin,

that he is a just God, he still weeps when

it has to be exacted like that still breaks God's heart.

He knows what their future holds, and he's telling them now.

He wept over it on his way into the city,

and now he's telling them these are the days of

vengeance that have been written about and prophesied about. It's

not a secret, and he's making sure it's not a

surprise either, because he's telling them. God, like many times

throughout history, is using another nation to execute his judgment

and use the gentile nation of Rome to do it.

Jerusalem will be trampled under the feet of gentiles. He's

using Rome to do it. But how long will Jerusalem

be trampled under foot? How long is that going to be?

And Jesus says, until the times the gentiles have been fulfilled.

So depending on how you interpret trampled on her foot

will determine how you interpret when it ends. And this

could mean that what Paul was talking about in Roman's

eleven when he says, until the full number of gentiles

have been brought into the people of God. Now I'm

not positive about that, so take that for a grain

of sand or a grain of salt. But some people

will argue for that. But what I am positive about

is these days that the gentiles are trampling Jerusalem underfoot,

they are numbered, they will end at some point.

Can I have the worship team come up, please.

So summarize kind of all what we talked about before

we kind of talk about what it means for us

or what we should do. Let's just summarize what we've read.

The disciples are admiring the temple. Jesus tells them one

day it's all going to be destroyed. So the people

ask when's that going to happen, because this is really

important to us, and Jesus gives them the heads up

on what's going to happen and what they should do.

There will be false christ who try to lead you astray.

He says, don't be let astray. You will be persecuted.

But he tells you and endure through it. There will

be wars and tumults and rumors of wars. They'd be

crazy signs, earthquakes, famines, plagues, signs in the sky, and

all this will happen before the destruction. But when you

see the army surrounding the city, that's when it's time.

That's your warning.

So when this happens, get out of the city. Just

get out.

Giving you a heads up, So heed the warning, So

heed the heads up.

Jesus is telling the people something big is coming. That's obvious.

There's something big coming, and then he tells him what

to do while it's all unfolding. But just like the

people who Jesus is talking to, we also know that

something big is coming in our life.

Jesus is returning. That's a big thing coming up.

Jesus is returning, and we've been given a heads up

that he's on his way and that will be the

end of all things as we know it. You guys

seen in the parallel here Jesus talking to the people

saying some big thing is coming that's going to end

everything as you know it. And we're told that Jesus

is coming back and we're waiting for it. And when

he comes back, everything will be different, everything will change,

nothing will be as it is. It will be the

end of the age. And we've been warned that he's

coming back to judge the living and the dead. The

perfect righteous King is coming again. And when he shows up,

every single knee will bow and every single tongue will

confess that Jesus's Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Nobody escapes that, dead or alive. We are all raised

to bow, to be on our knee before King Jesus.

This is when Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats,

to those who are in him and those who are

not in him, those who have put faith in him

and trusted in him alone for salvation, and those who haven't.

And if we have put faith in Jesus, then we will.

Enter into eternal life, peace and rest with him. But

if we haven't put faith in him, we will enter

into eternal punishment for our sin, because the wages of

our sin is death, and that still rests on our

head unless we put faith in Jesus, allowing it to

be on his So my plea to those who haven't

put faith in Jesus is that you would repent of

your unbelief. That is the first thing. The first sin

to repent of is that you don't believe. To repent

of your unbelief and turn to Jesus and trust in

him only for salvation. That's my plea to those who

haven't put faith in him. There is no other way

to receive forgiveness in eternal life than faith in Jesus.

Jesus is returning. It's the big thing that's coming up.

That's what we've been warned about. And I think the

three things that Jesus told the people in our text today,

I'm seeing three things that I'm pulled out. I think

those are the same three things we should do. It's

not overcomplicated. Number one is don't be led astray. That

was a clear call that Jesus put to the people, said,

don't be let astray. Said there will be people say

they are coming in his name, but they're false. Don't

follow them, don't believe them. And there's all kinds of

people nowadays who claim to be in the name of

Jesus and they are not. Don't be led astray. There's

people who will be speaking falsehoods. Just a couple of

weeks ago, we talked about choosing your leaders wisely, because

you end up in the same place as those you follow.

How do we spot the counterfeit? We spot the counterfeit

by knowing the real things so well that the fake

is obvious. Know your Bible, know what God says, know

what it means in context. It's the only way you're

gonna know that. The only way you're gonna spot the

counterfeit or the false. You will know the liar who's

standing right in front of you, and may they might

not be lying to you with ill intent, they might

be deceived or naive themselves. But still, those you follow,

you're going to end up in the same place, whether

they whether they're intentionally doing it or not. So don't

be led astray, don't be fooled by the fake. Don't

be led astray by false Christs. So that's number one,

don't be led astray. Number two is endure through persecution.

My friends who like lists, this is your list. It's

three things to do from today's text, Endure through persecution.

Jesus gave the people heads up that they would be

persecuted for his name's sake, and we're promised the same

thing today. We're promised the same thing today. People who

hate Jesus are gonna hate us too. But he says,

when they hate you, remember they hated me first.

That's what Jesus said. So don't be surprised when it comes.

You've been warned. Heed the heads up.

Expect it to come forward to be against you at

some point in your life. Expect persecution, and then endure it.

Endure the persecution, no matter what Jesus says. By your endurance,

we will gain our lives. So let nothing stop.

You from believing in Jesus.

Let nothing stop you from believing in him, keeping faith

in him and following him. I think those only those

who believe in Jesus will follow him and obey him.

That's a clear thing in scripture. So don't stop I don't.

Stop believing, don't stop believing, and don't stop following no

matter what, even if they throw you in prison, keep

the faith.

You keep following Jesus.

Or even if they put you to death, endure in

faith to the end. It may cost your life, but

this life is this long compared to eternity, So what's

really real? Get out of the matrix This just real

because we can touch it, see it, smell it, taste

the good food. But this is not forever. Set your

mind on things above, not on the temporal, the things

down below. Think about forever. Think about eternity. Read First Peter.

That will help you get through adversity and persecution and trials.

Endure through the trials. Endure through persecution. Even if they

put us to death. Worst thing to do is kill

our body. That's all they can do. Can't touch your soul.

They cannot touch your soul. So endure through persecution. The

one who remains steadfast receive the crown of life promised

to those who love the Lord.

Number one, don't be led astray.

Number two is endure through persecution, and number three is

to bear witness while we wait.

To bear witness while we wait.

Jesus told them, you're gonna be brought before kings and governors.

Use this as your opportunity to bear witness. So are

we using the time we've been given to bear witness

to Jesus? Is that something that's kind of floating around

on the back of our head, or is that something

we're actively pursuing because we're in the in between we're

waiting for the big event to happen, for Jesus to

come back. We're still in this in between time. We

can look back at all the things that Jesus has

done in the past. We're in this in between time.

Now is the time to bear witness to the lost,

to the lost and dying world. Every single day, people

are dying who don't know Jesus. We got to tell

them they've never heard the gospel. That should give us

a sense of urgency to go out there. We sit

next to coworkers every day, or maybe we're digital co

workers or whatever. Nowaday is right, but just sit next

to them, you interact with them.

Do you know where they're going? You know, so if

they've heard the gospel.

If you don't know, ask them, or just say hey,

I want to tell you.

Let me tell you something, Buy him lunch, tell him

a gospel.

Preach the good News of Jesus to everyone everywhere, even

in the midst of persecution, even in the midst of persecution.

To use that as an opportunity to share the gospel.

And I think endurance might be your biggest witness. It

might be the thing someone's looking at you and you

are just being persecuted.

Left and right, or walking through hard times.

You feel like your whole world is in flames, and

you're holding faith in Christ the whole time.

Someone looks at that and.

Says, why that's not normal? Why do you still have faith?

Everything's crumbling around you and you still believe. I think

that's your strongest witness the midst of that persecution, to

stand firm in your faith. Next step is just telling

someone about it. Always be ready to give the answer

for the hope that you have to not even explain it.

Sometimes you're like, I don't know. I'm good with God,

so I'm good with everything.

I know.

My eternity is set. So what do I have to

be anxious about? What do I have to be worried about?

Again?

The worst anyone can do to you is kill your body.

They cannot touch your soul. And sharing the Gospels like

the main thing Jesus told us to do. He says,

to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in

the name of the Father and of the Son and

of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything

Jesus commanded them.

It's like the main thing he told us to do.

So are we looking for those opportunities or are we

creating those opportunities? Are we making these opportunities? Jesus is returning,

you guys, He's on his way back. The clock is ticking.

That should put a little bit of fire under our feet,

especially if we're good with God already. That should put

a little fire under our feet where we're running out

of time.

People need to know.

People have got to know the good news of Jesus Christ,

that he saves us for our sin. This book is

not a book that you follow it and you have

a great life.

That's not the point of this book.

The point is this book is the triumph of Christ

over sin and death and saving lost sinners. That is

the point of this book. So what are we supposed

to do? Bear witness? Bear witness. That's what we're supposed

to do. Feel that sense of urgency in that pressure.

I don't want to like, I'm not trying to convict you,

but I know the Holy Spirit will convict you.

So don't ignore that conviction.

If you feel a little pressure and you're like I

feel a little uncomfortable, embrace the uncomfortable. We need to

get comfortable being uncomfortable. That's when we grow being comfortable

being uncomfortable. And plus, what's the worst that's gonna happen?

You say, hey, I want to tell you about Jesus,

and they're like, I hate Jesus. Get on my face. Okay,

I'm praying for you anyway, that's the worst. We don't

live in a time where persecution is that rough. Yeah,

and Chelsea says, here, look at do a little research.

The rest of the world. Persecution is a lot different.

We have nothing to be worried about. And even if

we were skinned alive or put to death or whatever,

we still are called to preach the Gospel, to bear

witness to this loss and dying world. We've been warned

and given a heads up that something huge is coming,

something that changes everything. Nothing will be the same when

Jesus comes back. We aren't waiting for a city to

be surrounded so we flee to the mountains. We're waiting

for Jesus to return to judge and we're telling them

these people to flee from their sin, to repent and

believe in Jesus. So again, false teachers, false prophets, false

Christ will come. Don't be led astray don't be led

astray no matter what comes against you. Endure through the persecution.

Endure through the persecution. And three is bear witness while

we wait for Jesus return. To bear witness while we're

waiting for Jesus' return. We've been given a heads up

what's coming, but it's on us to heed the warning.

To heed the heads up.

Amen. Can you guys stand on your feet please,