Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / January 28 - Luke 21

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January 28 - Luke 21 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello, friends, it's Sean. Here it is, Wednesday 28th of
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  January, which means we say happy birthday, Lego.
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  That's right, 68 years ago that amazing Danish patent was filed
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  and Lego was born with those interlocking bricks.
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  And did you realise that in the early 2000s, Lego was on the
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  brink of bankruptcy. They were just expanding into
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  theme parks and, and licencing of all sorts of different
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  products, but kind of lost their focus on the brick.
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  And everything was so complicated when they did
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  release patents that they had over 12,000 different types of
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  bricks. And then they said, right, let's
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  cut it all back. They sold their theme parks.
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  We began partnerships with things like Star Wars and Harry
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  Potter and all of these popular franchises.
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  And they trimmed their brick selection down to about 4000
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  bricks and said if you're going to design something, it's going
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  to be made out of these fewer selection of bricks.
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  And they have, well, not quite taken over the world, but they
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  are doing great after, well, the last 20 years, just gone from
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  strength to strength. Amazing.
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  They forgot what they were all about and they returned to it
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  and absolutely nailed it. And that is what we are doing,
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  friends, as we return to what we are all about in the middle of
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  today, with all of the distractions and things that are
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  going to be floating past your attention, we have returned back
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  to the core part of who we are. That is, we are children of the
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  living God who sent us his Son Jesus, who we are going to read
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  about today as we continue reading through the Gospel of
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  Luke. So why don't we do just that?
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  Oh Holy Spirit, help us hear Your words to us about who we
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  truly are and who You are for us as we read together Luke chapter
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  21. While Jesus was in the temple,
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  he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the
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  collection box. Then a poor widow came by and
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  dropped in two small coins. I tell you the truth, Jesus
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  said. This poor widow has given more
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  than all the rest of them, for they have given in tiny part of
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  their surplus. But she, poor as she is, has
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  given everything she has. Some of his disciples began
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  talking about the majestic stonework of the temple and
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  these memorial decorations on the walls.
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  But Jesus said the time is coming when all these things
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  will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on
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  top of another. Teacher.
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  They asked, When will all this happen?
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  What sign will show us that all these things are about to take
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  place? He replied don't let anyone
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  mislead you for many will come in my name claiming I am the
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  Messiah and saying the time has come.
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  But don't believe them and when you hear of wars and
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  insurrections, don't panic. Yes, these things must take
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  place first, but the end won't follow immediately.
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  Then, he added, nation will go to war against nation and
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  Kingdom against Kingdom. There will be great earthquakes,
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  and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there
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  will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from
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  heaven. But before all this occurs,
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  there will be a time of great persecution.
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  You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you
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  will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my
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  followers. But this will be your
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  opportunity to tell them about me.
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  So don't worry in advance about how to answer the charges
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  against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom
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  that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you,
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  even those closest to you. Your parents, brothers,
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  relatives and friends will betray you.
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  They will even kill some of you, and everyone will hate you
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  because you are my followers. But not a hair of your head will
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  perish. By standing firm you will win
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  your souls, and when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
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  then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived.
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  Then those in Judea must flee to the hills, those in Jerusalem
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  must get out, and those out in the country should not return to
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  the city. For those will be the days of
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  God's vengeance, and the prophetic words of the
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  Scriptures will be fulfilled. How terrible it will be for
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  pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
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  For there will be disaster in the land and great anger against
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  this people. They will be killed by the sword
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  or sent away as captives to all the nations of the world.
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  And Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the
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  period of the Gentiles comes to an end.
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  And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon and stars.
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  And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by
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  the roaring seas and strange tides.
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  People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth,
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  for the powers and the heavens will be shaken.
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  Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with
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  power and great glory. So when all these things begin
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  to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near.
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  Then He gave them this illustration.
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  Notice the fig tree or any other tree when the leaves come out.
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  You know without being told that summer is near.
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  In the same way, when you see all these things taking place,
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  you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.
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  I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from
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  the scene until all these things have taken place.
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  Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never
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  disappear. Watch out.
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  Don't let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness and
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  by the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you
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  unaware like a trap, for that day will come upon everyone
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  living on the earth. Keep alert at all times and pray
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  that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors
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  and stand before the Son of Man. Every day Jesus went to the
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  temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the
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  night on the Mount of Olives. The crowds gathered at the
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  temple early each morning to hear him.
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  Our Lord, as we read these words that you shared with your
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  disciples, our hearts can go to anxiety as we hear of all these
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  things and we can think how far away is that day.
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  Lord, the point of what you're saying is that day will come and
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  we won't know when it comes, but we just need to trust in You and
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  be ready. Be ready by holding fast to You
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  as our cornerstone, as our anchor, as our North Star, and
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  living each day as though it could be our last.
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  Focusing on you and your love and your Kingdom and sharing the
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  incredible news of Your love and forgiveness to the world around
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  us every day. So Lord, I pray that you would
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  give us that lens of clarity that we would see each day as a
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  gift from you, moving ever closer toward that day when we
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  come face to face with you, however that comes.
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  Our Lord, we love you and we know that when that day comes,
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  it will be a wide open embrace that greets us with your loving
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  words, welcoming us home. Our Jesus, thank you for all
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  that you have done reconciling us to the Father so that on that
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  day we will know a closeness and joy with you that we cannot even
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  comprehend. So, Lord, we just thank you that
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  you hold the future and you hold us in your hands, and we pray
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  all of this in your all knowing, all powerful name, Amen.