Latest / HBCWestminster / 2.6.22 Luke 21:25-36 Pastor Danny Gardner

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2.6.22 Luke 21:25-36 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  Well, if you have your Bibles open, Luke 21, verse 25. I'm going to read verses 25 to 36. I would ask if you would stand in honor of God's Word as I do. Beginning in verse 25. And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
• 0:31
  And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near. And he told them a parable. Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they come out and leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
• 0:59
  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But watch yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell in the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. Would you pray with me? Almighty God, grant we ask.
• 1:30
  That the music which we've heard today with our ears and sung with our lips may through your grace also be grafted inwardly in our hearts. That our worship may bring forth in us the fruit of good living. To the honor and praise of your name, we ask as we open your word that you would aid our understanding of who you are and why you came. And that you would give us the hope of your return. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Thank you, church.
• 2:00
  In another conclusion of one of Jesus' famous sermons, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus concluded that sermon by saying, Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a man, a wise man who built his house on the rock, and the rain fell and the floods came. The winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.
• 2:23
  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it. Church, what are you building your house upon? What have you chosen as the foundation of your life, hoping that that foundation will never fail?
• 2:50
  For my youngest son, Chase's ninth birthday, he's about to turn 12, and so three years ago, rather than having a birthday party, he asked if we would take him to the Great Wolf Lodge down in Colorado Springs for his birthday. If you've never been to the Great Wolf Lodge, it's probably because you do not have young kids at home. The Great Wolf Lodge is a hotel themed around nine-year-olds, all right? That's what it is for.
• 3:13
  The rooms are themed. It looks like their little bunk bed is a cave. The hotel lobby is themed. There are all kinds of fun little things for kids to do. And it is built adjacent, connected to an indoor water park. And so your kids can go and enjoy, even in the worst weather, your kids can enjoy water slides and swimming in the wave pool. Chase asked, instead of a party, can we go to the Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs? And so we took them.
• 3:36
  There's a whole bunch of water slides inside. Some of them you ride individually on a tube and on a mat thing, and some of them your whole family can ride together on these big, giant inner tubes. One of them, though, you ride by yourself. No tube, it's just you. It's green in color, so my boys just call it the green slide. It's the tallest and longest, but it is also the shortest of all of the rides because of how steep it is and how fast you go down that chute.
• 4:04
  You go all the way to the top, and water slides aren't really my thing, but, you know, for my son's birthday, Dad, will you go with me on the green slide? Yeah, sure. So we climb all the way to the top to the highest platform. On that highest platform, there is the top of the tube of the water slide kind of pokes through that highest platform. You walk up to the tube, you open the door thing, the plexiglass door, you step into it, and then you close the door behind you. So now you're standing straight up on...
• 4:33
  this water slide inside of this tube there's a speaker inside and a countdown begins okay and so as you're standing there they tell you to cross your legs and cross your arms and just wait and you hear this you know kind of guy's voice in there that says three two one and on zero
• 4:57
  The floor falls out from under you and you just drop straight down this chute. It spins you around four or five times and you end up in a pile at the bottom of the green slide. Except that there's a certain cadence, like there's a tempo to the countdown. Three, two, one. And as you're paying attention to that cadence, you expect them to drop that floor in tempo, in rhythm with the countdown. But they don't.
• 5:25
  They wait just a fraction of a second longer on the zero. And so as you're standing there, three, two, one, and you clinch, you say, hey, wait a minute. Maybe it's broken. It's not broken. You know, they wait just long enough for you to kind of unclench and you drop. Jesus says in Matthew chapter seven, the wise man built his house upon the rock, but the foolish man built his house upon the green water slide platform.
• 5:55
  At Great Wolf Lodge, putting all of their hope, their confidence, their trust, even their faith in a floor which would eventually fall out from under them. In our text this morning, Jesus provides his hearers with a new foundation of hope. What the Jewish people had previously founded their hope upon, a physical structure, a temple in the midst of the city would be destroyed, we find out, within a generation. This, we said, would have been cataclysmic news.
• 6:24
  The people must have wondered what would become of them once the temple was gone, once the city was laid waste. But following on the heels of that devastating news, Jesus provides a new hope of his second coming, a new foundation which would be eternal. We said last Sunday that Jesus' sermon likely has some elements that were fulfilled in the past, like the Roman destruction in AD 70.
• 6:52
  It also quite possibly contains some elements which await fulfillment. Contained within his words were a short-term event, destruction of the temple, but also a long-term fulfillment in his return. We said that although this text from Luke and Matthew's parallel account of the Olivet Discourse, the sermon, just a few days before Jesus' crucifixion where he was standing on the Mount of Olives, likely record the same message, Matthew and Luke.
• 7:22
  But the author's two focuses, the word really is foci, but that's a weird word, their focuses were different. Matthew's primarily on the end times, Luke's primarily on that imminent temple destruction. We issued a warning by way of reminder last week not to put your hope, your confidence, your trust on foundations which will ultimately fail. Human governments and economies, all earthly institutions will eventually drop out from under us like that platform in the green water slide.
• 7:51
  The only hope we have is to put our hope in the one that will never fail, the anchor for our souls, Jesus Christ. And he becomes the focus of our study this morning.
• 8:04
  No sooner does Christ reveal to his hearers that the foundation of the temple, and by extension, the foundation of their religion, culture, even their very lives will be destroyed, does he offer a new foundation in his return. The second coming of Christ, he says, will be as sure as the temple's destruction. What the temple building offered to the Jewish people, God's presence, God's pardon, God's peace.
• 8:31
  The second coming of Christ would fulfill to God's people the church. Christ's second coming is the new foundation upon which we stand. In verse 24, what was the final verse of our study last Sunday, the Lord warned of a coming dominance by the Gentiles that I believe would inaugurate a new era of the history of God's people where the Israelites would, at least for a time, be set aside and God's primary dealings would be with a new people.
• 9:01
  The church. The church comprised of both Jew and Gentile, but as we have seen played out, primarily Gentiles. Last Sunday, Jesus concluded, verse 24, in the last portion, that the Lord would use this new church, this new people, until the times of...
• 9:22
  the gentiles are fulfilled in fact romans 11 and verse 25 says it similarly when paul addressing his jewish brothers in the roman congregation says lest you be wise in your own sight i do not want you to be unaware of this mystery brothers a partial hardening has come upon israel until the fullness of the gentiles has come in until that gentile age is over alistair begg describes it by saying until the end of this present
• 9:51
  world order we said last week that one of the difficulties in interpreting the olivet discourse this sermon before us is figuring out which portions refer to a past event and which portions still await a future fulfillment and let me just tell you right out of the gate church that commentators disagree on almost every single verse in this sermon almost every single verse is hotly debated
• 10:18
  No matter your view of end times, no matter your view of eschatology, you can probably find someone somewhere who disagrees with you. You can probably also find someone somewhere who agrees with you. What appears to be the most accurate understanding of the text to me is that up to verse 24, what was our sermon from last Sunday, Jesus is referring to the past destruction of Jerusalem.
• 10:44
  But then he pivots in verse 25, and I'll explain in a moment why I believe he does that. But he pivots in verse 25 and begins referring to his second coming, which is a future event. And I say all of this knowing that some of my best friends, whom I love and respect, and who in all honesty are probably smarter and better studied than I am, disagree with me vehemently on this topic.
• 11:13
  Those friends, if they were the ones preaching this morning, would have a very different interpretation and application than I do. But guess what? They ain't preaching this morning. And so you're going to get me. And consider what a privilege it is. You thought I was going to say to get me, but that's not what I'm going to say. Consider what a privilege we have. The liberty that we enjoy.
• 11:43
  to disagree with one another on the lesser points of church doctrine, as long as we agree on the greater points. I meet with a group of young men for discipleship every Tuesday morning before they all head off to work this last Tuesday. One of them reminded the group of this truth, which was spoken originally by Rupertus Maldonius, and he said this, in essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, freedom.
• 12:14
  but in all things charity. With this in mind, I would remind us again that despite our opinions of the end times, the truth is that one day the world will end. On that we can all agree that despite our opinions of the return of Christ, that one day Christ will return. On these points we enjoy unity.
• 12:39
  On the lesser issues, like the signs which will accompany those events, like the timing of some of those events, on the lesser issues, we enjoy liberty and charity. We pick up in verse 25 where Jesus says, and. And there will be signs. Now the ESV translates the Greek word chi, but not all translations do. You may be holding a different translation which just begins with, there will be signs. It leaves that word and.
• 13:09
  out and what a shame that would be kai simply means and what follows is christ's addendum to the destruction when all seems lost there is still hope is what he's saying the people of god are not left without a future destruction he says yes is sure but so is redemption
• 13:35
  Again, Alistair Begg, when the times of the Gentiles, he says, are fulfilled, the kingdom of this world will give way to the kingdom of the Lord and His Christ, that His kingdom is assured. We continue in verse 25. There will be signs, he says, in sun and moon and stars. Now, some commentators suggest that these signs will be very literal. They would say that the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and stars, will be in a state of upheaval.
• 14:06
  That as was the case when Christ was killed and the sun went dark, so will be the day when Christ returns in glory. The very stars will fall from the sky. One even suggests that on that day the earth will be so turned upside down that it will quite literally fall from its axis, causing universal and catastrophic damage. The Gospel of Matthew records it this way in Matthew 24 and verse 29.
• 14:37
  Same sermon, he says, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened. The moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Revelation says it similarly. Revelation 13 and verse 12. When he opened the sixth seal, I looked and behold, there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth. The full moon became like blood and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit.
• 15:06
  when shaken by a gale there will be calamity in the heavens but it continues verse 25 and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves now that phrase the roaring of the sea and the waves is a frequent metaphor used in the old testament when it was used in the old testament it often referred to the turmoil
• 15:32
  that nations underwent if nations were at war that was the roaring of the sea and the waves as if humanity was a vast ocean and there was this turmoil now here the phrase is used by christ but in a universal sense the sign of the army surrounding jerusalem last week our study which was devastating yes but very localized i believe will be different
• 15:58
  then the signs of the end of the age, which will also be devastating, but which will be global. And let me show you why I think that way. Using verse 26, he says, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on. And what does it say? You guys have your Bibles, right? Verse 26. Foreboding of what is coming upon what? The world. The world. It seems to be that it is global.
• 16:26
  And let me state it again, if I haven't done so already, that there is disagreement regarding these issues, that the disagreement is okay, that I could be the one who is wrong. But let me give you why I believe it is plausible, even probable, that these two texts, last week and this week, refer to different people. In verse 23, if you look back up just a couple of verses, last Sunday's text.
• 16:55
  jesus said in verse 23 right this calamity is coming upon jerusalem he says in verse 23 alas for women who are pregnant and i said last sunday it's never easy to be pregnant especially difficult during this time is what jesus is saying and for those who are nursing infants in those days for there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against what does he say this people
• 17:23
  This people, I believe, refers specifically to the generation alive during the time of the Roman destruction of the temple. This people seems to refer to a very specific people. However, verse 26 seems to broaden the scope when it says foreboding is coming upon the world. In fact, he says it again in verse 35. Verse 35, for it.
• 17:51
  Jesus, the coming judgment will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. A universal judgment is coming. The destruction described in AD 70 in Jerusalem did not come on those who lived on the face of the whole earth. In fact, if you go back and read verses 20 to 24, they seem to focus very clearly on the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Look back at verse 20.
• 18:21
  But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. The coming judgment, however, Jesus says, will be universal, global. Now, this is a conclusion that I've drawn that I hold with an open hand. Luke says that when the universal judgment comes, verse 26, people will faint with fear.
• 18:48
  The exact rendering of the Greek phrase would be that they will cease to breathe. They will literally be scared to death. And that makes perfect sense. I mean, if the judgments described by Christ are literal and not figurative, then the heavenly bodies disintegrate. The oceans heave. And listen, if that happened this afternoon, we would all be scared to death too. Stars begin falling out of the sky.
• 19:18
  So what is going on? I mean, if the earth begins to melt and the oceans no longer stay where oceans are supposed to stay, we would be scared to death too. They will faint. They will die from fright. But we pick up in verse 27. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. There will be a day, and I believe that day to arrive when the world is at its darkest, that the Son of Man, Jesus himself,
• 19:48
  will burst back onto the scene perhaps the clearest scripture describing this event is found in revelation 19 and verse 11. it says then i saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and the one sitting on it is called faithful and true and in righteousness he judges and makes war his eyes are like a flame of fire and on his head are many diatoms crowns he has a name written that no one knows but himself
• 20:16
  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. I believe that's the church, you and I. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the wide press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. Do you remember, church, when I talked...
• 20:46
  about Jesus on Palm Sunday arriving on a donkey. Do you remember that? It's just a few weeks ago. I talked about why that donkey was so significant. The king riding a donkey was a declaration of peace. And this is what Jesus offered at his first coming. When he came 2,000 years ago, what he offered was peace. In fact, the very song sung on the day of his birth by that angelic host was peace. Peace to the earth.
• 21:17
  But we said a king riding a white horse was very different. Only conquering and victorious kings rode white horses. And this will be his animal of choice when he returns. Verse 27 says that unlike his first coming, which was meek and mild, his second coming will be with power and great glory, and that people will literally die from fright.
• 21:45
  I believe this refers to none other than his second coming at the conclusion of the great tribulation which will come upon the whole earth. A great tribulation which is described in the book of Revelation in the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments. Now using that interpretation, that a great tribulation will be coming, a global distress will come upon the earth, and that at the conclusion of that tribulation, Jesus will return. Using that interpretation,
• 22:14
  The verses 28 to 36 become relatively simple to understand. They are an exhortation from Christ to that future tribulation generation which will be alive when these things take place. He issues both a warning and then gives an encouragement to be vigilant, to stay awake, to be alert, to live with urgency as that day arrives. And look at verse 28. He says, now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads because your redemption is drawing near.
• 22:44
  In other words, Jesus says, whoever is a follower of mine and is alive during the beginnings of these signs can take heart. Because unlike the enemies of Christ who will be perplexed and traumatized at Christ's return because all they await is divine judgment, God's people rather will understand that Christ's return means their redemption. So don't lose heart, he says, church. Rather take heart because I am coming back.
• 23:14
  And when I come back, your redemption will be assured. Having said this, Jesus looks around in verse 29. He sees a fig tree. Using that tree, he tells a quick story. Notice verse 29, and he told them a parable. Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they come out and leaf, you see for yourselves, you know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
• 23:42
  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. He just says, you know, when the fig tree sprouts leaves, you know that the winter is over and summer is not far behind. This illustration completely breaks down if you live in Denver, Colorado. The warmer temperatures and budding leaves in Denver.
• 24:12
  are a sure sign that it will snow again soon and then when those green leaves really begin to take shape and appear it will snow again and then when the leaves and flowers are in full bloom sometime in may it will snow one more time just for good measure other places may have four seasons we have at least ten right there are times we have two or three seasons in a single week
• 24:39
  But nevertheless, the parable Jesus tells is relatively simple. You can read really, really easy signs, like leaves on trees. You know, summer must not be far off. You can read those signs. You will also be able to read the signs of my return. You know that if you see these things taking place, that I am coming back. A phrase that has given the church a hard time for the last 2,000 years, and the phrase that is still hotly debated today is found in verse 32.
• 25:10
  What did Jesus mean when he said, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place? There are two likely interpretations to that phrase. First, this generation could be referring to the same generation to whom Jesus was delivering this message, his original audience, the original hearers.
• 25:36
  That was the generation who would be alive during the temple's destruction in AD 70. Now, the benefit of this view, and there is a big benefit of that view, is that it's probably the easiest. It's the simplest interpretation that Jesus told a whole sermon for one group of people, that there was no past event, future event. You can literally just say it's all already happened. It's very simple to tie that off. Now, if one holds to that interpretation,
• 26:05
  Then one must also believe that the entirety of Christ's sermon has already been fulfilled, because He said all, all of these things. Which means that whatever verse 27 referred to, the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds, either must not be His second coming, or that Christ has already returned. That the church now, right now, you and I as we sit here are currently living,
• 26:36
  In like a post-apocalyptic, post-Return of Christ era, we don't need to look forward to His return. His return has already happened, and that also poses the greatest problem, I think, with holding that view. How and when did Christ return in A.D. 70? Now, there are some, very few, but a few.
• 27:00
  obscure, historical, extra-biblical references, meaning to say that the Bible doesn't say it, they're outside of God's Word, where people say that they saw Jesus appear in the sky in A.D. 70, but there's nothing conclusive. There's certainly no inspired text which says that. Certainly nothing like what is described in verses 25 to 27, where people are literally dying from fright and the heavens are melting. Now, could that interpretation be wrong?
• 27:29
  Yes, it could. There's a second interpretation. It's the one that I hold. It says that Jesus is referring not to the generation of heroes standing immediately in front of him, but rather to a future generation who would be alive during that great tribulation that he is describing. Once those signs begin to appear, he would say, that generation will be alive.
• 27:55
  for the fulfillment of both the global devastation described, but also Christ's return to redeem his people. In other words, he says, don't lose heart, even if you find yourself in this great distress, because it will not last forever. It's not going to kill you all. If that starts, there will be a conclusion within that generation. The generation that saw its beginning will also see its end. Now, could I be wrong? Nope.
• 28:27
  Of course I could. If there was no possibility of me being wrong, there would be no debate. There wouldn't be dozens upon dozens upon dozens of books written on this very subject. In fact, both of these interpretations could be wrong. Another interpretation could exist that no one's ever even thought of, that the Lord is just smiling down at us and saying, look how cute they are. Which is why we must come to God's Word with humility.
• 28:59
  Here we come to the conclusion of Christ's sermon. You pick up in verse 34, which also serves as the conclusion of my sermon. He says, But watch yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life. And that day come upon you suddenly like a trap, for it will come upon all who dwell in the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times.
• 29:26
  praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. My high school Bible teacher, the man that discipled me when I was just a brand new believer, I came to Christ right before high school, the summer between my 8th and 9th grade years. That man used to end every sermon with a section he called, So What?
• 29:50
  It was the application portion of the sermon. How does it apply to me? What does it have to do with me? Jesus here kind of does the same thing. You can imagine for a moment that you're one of his original hearers. You're a man or woman of faith. You believe what he said. You probably would have had a million questions bouncing around inside of your head. Like, wait, the temple's going to be destroyed? Our nation is going to crumble? The sea and the waves will be upended? The heavenly bodies will fail and you're coming back?
• 30:19
  You haven't even left. Where are you going? How long are you going to be gone? And with these questions kind of swarming in the minds of his congregation, Christ concludes his final earthly sermon with a so what. It's a warning to live with a sense of urgency. As sure as the temple would be destroyed, also as sure would be his return. And so his sermon takeaway is this. He simply says, watch yourselves. Watch yourselves. Pay attention.
• 30:51
  Look out. He says in the next verse, don't become weighed down with the cares of this world. In the next verse, he says, stay awake. Don't fall asleep. In the next verse, pray for deliverance. And in the final verse, prepare your soul to stand before the Son of Man. Did you guys ever see that 80s movie, Christmas Vacation?
• 31:16
  If you've never seen it, I wouldn't recommend it. If you do find it, find a clean version of it because there's plenty of manure in the brownies, okay? Don't just take a bite. But my favorite scene in the movie is when Chevy Chase accidentally locks himself in the attic while his family is away. As he settles into the attic, because there's no way out, and he awaits his rescue, he begins to make himself at home in the attic of his own house. Wearing whatever silly clothes he could find to stay warm, he begins watching old family movies.
• 31:47
  When his family finally arrived after many hours, the grandma goes upstairs. She reaches up to pull the chain to the attic access that will drop down the ladder. And in that moment, the audience discovers that Clark W. Griswold Jr. has set up his entire rig, his chair, his table, the movie projector, all of it on the top side of that attic access pull-down.
• 32:13
  And so when the grandma reaches up and pulls, you see Chevy Chase sitting there, teary, right, reminiscing about days gone by. The entire thing drops through the floor. Everything fell. Church, what are you building your life upon? If your hope and your trust, your confidence, your faith are built upon human institutions or governments or economies, they will all fail. And so Jesus gives us.
• 32:43
  A fixed point in the distance. A point which will not fail. A point which will come to pass. And a point by which we can navigate our lives. His return. His return offers us a sure footing and a sure foundation for our faiths. And Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, for the clarity with which it speaks. And God, I pray.
• 33:12
  that it would penetrate our hearts and minds. In Jesus' name, amen.