Luke's Gospel

I guess we all want to know the future. I mean, questions about the future, sort of take us up, don't they? You you know, We have worries about the future, am I gonna keep my job, what's gonna happen, all of that stuff. And particularly at this time that we're in with the whole coronavirus, what's gonna happen, you know, how we going to meet, how am I going to cope, what's what's the future hold? Well, the truth is we don't know what the future holds.

Unless we listen to the 1 who holds the future and that is God. And that's why we do need to come back to the bible and come back to God's word because he tells us. Now we've been looking at Luke's gospel in these evening services. And we're in Luke chapter 21. And we saw in the last section, Tom took us through The woman who brought these 2 tiny little pieces of of copper, the widow's mite it used to be called, who puts in basically nothing in the collection box compared to all of the rich religious folk that we're putting in tons of money and Jesus says, she put in everything.

So there's this comparison between the outside, the religious, the glorious people. And someone who really does really give. So they're coming away from that people watching, as Tom showed us, and we we pick up the story in verse 5 of Luke chapter 21. Some of these disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, As for what you see here, the time will come when not 1 stone will be left on another.

Every 1 of them will be thrown down. That they still haven't really listened to Jesus about this woman putting in just little slivers of of coins, but she put in everything compared to to this hypocrisy of of showing off and they're still looking at the temple and seeing it as these glorious beautiful stones, gifts dedicated to God. They're not really understanding what Jesus is about. And he says, look, there's gonna be a time where the temple's gone. Stop looking at the temple.

Stop looking at outside glory of the world. There's something else I want you to look at. Another temple, something much more important but will look despised, but actually is really really what you need to look at to understand the future. So he says that that this temple will be torn down. And then we come to verse 7.

Teacher, they asked, when will these things happen? That's question number 1. When will these things happen? And then question number 2, and what will be the sign that they are about to take place? 2 questions in verse 7 about the future.

When will these things happen and what will be the sign that they're about to take place? Now Jesus ignores the first 1. He doesn't tell us exactly when this will happen, but he does answer the second about signs. The signs of the times. I've got 7 points here.

All I'm going to do is to read the sections under my points and just sort of talk about them a little bit so we can get through this whole chapter. But here are the signs of the future. This this is what's going to happen. So you wanna know the future. God knows the future.

Jesus knows the future and this is what he says the future is. First 1 is deception. Deception. There's going to be deception verse 8. By the way, all my points start with d, so I'm pushing it a little bit.

But here we go, deception verse 8. He replied, watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming I am he, and the time is near. Do not follow them. So there's a deceiver coming.

There's deceptions coming. So be careful. Watch out false prophets if you like. And they will deceive you. So you need to be ready for that.

So if you want to know what the future is from this moment on, there's going to be deception. There's going to be people coming. Now he's not just talking about the odd crackpot here and there. You know, the person that thinks they're Napoleon or the person that actually says, I am Jesus. You you can or I am the Messiah.

There are all kinds of people. Just go going Kingston High Street and there's there's people saying that Jesus was a Korean woman or something. And it they're fairly crackpots sort of people really. But I think what Jesus is saying is that 1 of the main characteristics of what is going to happen in this age before Jesus comes in these last days is that many are coming. And their liars, their deceivers.

I think he means it in the broadest sense, there going to be movements rising up. There are going to be individuals, yes, that will say that they're the anointed 1. They're the powerful 1. They're the ones that hold the words of truth. They may well be religious deceivers, but they might be irreligious deceivers as well.

And they're coming with a message or a movement that has a message that is going to give you the key to success or this is how you're to live. So it could be a prophet like Mohammed. It could be like the new atheists shouting their mouths off and telling us that they're the ones that have the truths. It could be all kinds of things. Thanks to Paul Whitfield and David Glen.

I've started reading or I've read this book actually. Called the madness of crowds. It's not by a Christian, but it is an amazing book and really helpful. With identifying what's going on in in our world. And 1 of the chapters he deals with technology.

And 1 of the things that blew me away in the sense of wow, if this is frightening, was a term that I'd never heard before. It's called MLF, machine learning fairness. I mean, The very sound of that sounds frightening. Machine learning fairness. And what he shows us, and I I haven't got time to read out the big chunk.

But what he shows us there is that something like Google, in fact Google itself has people in Silicon Valley thinking that we need to be educated. And so when we put certain things in to Google, not only does Google follow the things I like, but it tells me what these people in Silicon Valley think I need to know and so it will try to educate me. Machine learning fairness. It is frightening. In other words, Jesus is saying There are people coming that will say, I am he.

Listen to me. I have the truth. I will speak the truth and he says be careful. Watch out. There are deceivers.

Now this is not the end when that comes, but it's a sign of the end. These There's going to be deception in these days. He's saying. And again, if you read through the book of Revelation and you can watch the Corona Coronicals, the first series, then you'll see that Satan uses all kinds of things like this. Now, when you look in the in the bible, it's worth it's worth being able to tell the difference between people that manipulate you with machine learning fairness or stuff they go on about themselves.

I am he with real prophets. So in John's gospel, for instance, in John chapter 1, we read about John The Baptist, who is a real prophet. People come to John The Baptist and say, who are you? And this is what he says in John chapter 1, verse 20 to 27. Let me read these words.

He did not, John the Baptist, did not fail to confess. But confess, confessed freely, I am not the Christ. They asked him, then who are you? Are you Elijah? He said, I am not.

Are you the profit? He said, no. Finally, they said, well, who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?

And here's what a real prophet says about himself. John replied in the words of Isaiah, the prophet. I am the voice of 1 calling in the desert. Make straight the way for the Lord. Now some pharisees who had been sent question him.

Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah nor the profit. Here's what here's what John the baptist says, I baptized with water just with the physical outward picture. I baptized with water. John replied, but among you stands 1, you do not know. He is the 1 who comes after me, the thongs of sandals I am not worthy to untie.

And then he goes on in chapter 3 verse 30, of John, he must become greater, I must become less. Now, do you see the difference? Jesus is saying that there are false teachers and false prophets who will say, I am he. I have the truth. Listen to me.

Or they manipulate things in ways you don't even know you're being manipulated with machine learning fairness to bring their truth over because they absolutely think that they have the truth. But a real profit is someone who says, don't follow me, follow him. A real profit is always going on about 1 greater than him, pointing to Jesus. So don't be deceived. Be careful.

Be careful what's going in your ears. Be careful what you're taking in in your eyes. Be careful who you're listening to. Listen. This is a dangerous world Jesus is saying.

Watch out there are many false prophets claiming to have truth influencing you and really what a real prophet is saying There is just 1 you need to keep your eyes on. 1 you need to base your life on. Jesus. So there's the first sign of the end of the times. Of the times that that we're in is deception.

Here's the second truth. Devastation and disaster. You get it in verses 9 to 11 of Luke chapter 21. Let me read it. When you hear of wars and uprisings do not be frightened.

These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away. Then he said to them, nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There'll be great earthquakes and famines and pestilences in various places. And fearful events and great signs from heaven. Now, is that happening today?

Is there devastations and disasters? Yep. It's the news is full of it. Just turn the news up. You see explosions and disasters and famines, and people trying to to, you know, survive by getting in little dingiest to come to richer countries that often reject them.

And it it's it's nation against nation and family if the world is full of wars and rumors of wars. We've been thinking about our brothers and sisters in in Belarus. You see what's going on there? Blood on the streets, you know, people against their own people, police battering people, we had this description from Sergei. 1 of the people we know and members of Trinity Church that was beaten up and put in a box and tasered no end in torture.

That these things are happening. Don't be surprised. You know, You know when you ever hear those news items where there's been a murder down the street or or or some explosion or some terrorist event down their street or in their area of where they live. And people say things like, you you read about these things, but I never thought it would happen here. Well, Jesus is saying why why did you never think it would happen here?

Because he said it would. These these are events that are going to happen before he comes. You wanna know the future. This is the future. These terrible things are going going to happen.

Now it's interesting in in other in other of the gospels when Jesus gives this sermon. Jesus uses birth pains as an illustration. So he he says that these things will happen as birth pains. Now, if you know anything about birth pains, if your wife kicks you in the middle of the night and tells you that she's got contractions, you you you wake up. You don't say, okay.

Lovely and go back to sleep. You wake up. You've got your backpack. You're ready. For this unstoppable event.

It's on its way. The contractions are going. Their birth pains and the baby is coming. Now those contract contractions don't tell you exactly when the birth is going to happen. It's not like, oh, I've got first contraction.

That means at 6 PM, I'm going to have the baby. You don't know. You don't know the date. See doesn't answer the first part of their question or the first 1 of their questions in verse 7. You don't know the date, but you do know that it's coming.

And what Jesus is saying is when you see wars and rumors of wars and famines, you know the future. You should know the future. Jesus is coming. Because that's what you need to keep your eye on. Jesus is coming.

He's the 1 that will sort all this out. Now it's interesting how the atheists in their clever little ways sort of tried to twist all this. Because they think backwards. They think it's the wrong way around. When they see wars and rumors of wars, they say where is your God then?

Why doesn't God show us a sign? Jesus is saying, this is the sign. This is the sign. You can't make peace on earth. You can't have a society that where this won't happen.

These things will happen. I promised it that they are. So these are amazing signs from heaven, birth pains. For the non Christian, they're blockades that on the way to hell. They're meant to warn you Jesus is coming back.

There's signs from heaven, show us a sign. That's the sign wars and rumors of wars and famines and nation against nation. Man can't live without God intervening. And this is never going to be heaven on earth. Yeah?

These are the signs. They warn us. They have to make us disillusion with with this world. There's signs from heaven. There's another world, a bigger world, a greater world.

Don't make your life just on this earth. Yeah? To the Christian, Jesus says in verse 9, do not be afraid. Don't be afraid. Don't be alarmed.

These are the workings of God in this world. Don't be alarmed. The world looks like a battlefield. A bloody battlefield, and it will look like that until the king comes and stops all this war. Their birth pains until heaven comes.

The king comes. That's the second point. Third point. Third d is the testings I think there's a word like that. Anyway, did testings.

Look at verse 12 to 19. But before all this, They will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison. And you will be brought before kings and governors and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me.

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom but none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, and sisters, relatives and friends, they will put some some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm and you will win life.

What are the signs of the end of the age, well you're gonna be detested? If you're following Jesus, the world is against you, that's what he's saying. And if you look at it, People, relatives, friends, even turn against Christians, all over the world, all over the world. And you may know it even in this country. Where there's not so much push acute.

You just become a Christian and suddenly people are calling you homophobic or or something you Nazi. Are you a Nazi or something? It's amazing the the words that are just suddenly come at you if you declare that you're a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, are you judging me? It's all all that sort of stuff suddenly happens even in our country but around the world.

People are hated and imprisoned. I mean some of you may have read about Sergei from from Belarus. Who who who was sort of on the fringe of the riots. He wasn't even deep in the riots. He was just in the town in the town center of Minsk, when the city center Minks on the outskirts with his brothers praying, praying for Belarus, praying for Belarus.

And the police come along and say, what you're doing is is a pre we're praying. We're Christian, praying for Belarus and he was severely beaten up and tortured. And they were mocking and laughing about that. This is what happens. You follow Jesus, you expect that there'll be some kind of detesting of you for following Jesus.

Don't be surprised You don't really in 1 sense have to be up in arms about this. Jesus said this would happen. Yeah? But keep your eye on the fact that not 1 hair of your head. You see see, Sergei, yeah, I mean, I fear for those that touched his hair, he's a child of God.

The father God is saying, that's my boy. Do you think you can get away with that? In the end, you won't you know, They think they're the big powerful ones, but don't you worry. You stand firm. You'll win life.

You'll win life. Yeah? Because God is about life and he's bringing you into that new kingdom that is coming very soon. Yeah? So detestings.

Expect it. You'll be rejected perhaps by the world but not by God, not by the father. You cannot perish. Fourth point is the destruction of Jerusalem. You see this in verse 20 to 24.

Remember, Jesus has been talking about with his disciples about the temple and this glorious temple and all of the stuff Jerusalem and all that stuff. And he says that there's gonna be a destruction of Jerusalem and that's that happened 70 years later. So look at verse 20. When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in a Judah flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, let those in the country, not enter the city.

For this is the time of punishment for sorry. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all nations.

Jerusalem will trampled on by the gentiles until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled. There's this momentous event, this event that's going to happen and did happen in 80 70, and not 70 years afterwards, but in 80 70, I should have said. They've rejected, you see Jerusalem. They've rejected the king. They crucified the king outside of the city wall.

They mocked him and and so therefore that's the end. Yep. That's the end of that city. That's the end of Jerusalem. And that should make you say, yeah, we're in these end times.

We're already here. Fifthing, the dazzling glory. I'm trying to get d's, you see. Dazzling glory and drawing near. Dazzling glory and drawing there.

You get this in verse 25 to 28. There will be signs in the sun moon and stars. So these great bodies, these glorious bodies. On Earth, nation will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror Apprehensive of what is coming on the world for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

We saw that was actually this morning. This is judgment coming. At that time, they will see the son of man coming in a cloud. With power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up, lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

It's interesting, isn't it? Glorious dazzling glory. Is drawing near. What's the future? The future is Jesus.

Yeah? And it's dazzling. And even the sun and the moon and all the stars in their glory will fall. Yeah? Because the dazzling glory of Jesus is coming.

And when he comes, who can stand? Who can stand the judgment? Of this dazzling glory God's people. Stand up, lift up your heads. Yeah?

Your redemption is drawing near. That's what we look to. That keeps us going. It won't be long He's coming. These things will happen but he's coming.

These are the signs of the times that were in these days So now keep your eye on Jesus. Sixly, 6 d is determined the times then. You get this in verse 29 33, determined the times. C 29. He told him this parable, look at the fig tree and all the trees, When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourself and know that summer is near.

Even so, When you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I tell you this generation will certainly not pass away. Until all these things have happened. Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. What he's giving us is just a little illustration They would know when the when the leaves sprout that, you know, summer is near.

In other words, you read the signs. You're walking along, you know, for us, in our country, when you see the black thorn, you know, oh, black thorn is coming. Spring is coming. Then you see the hawthorn because that comes out a little later. Oh, yes.

Spring is hip. But spring is here. You know, that's we read the signs of the times, don't we? It's getting lighter in the morning. Yeah.

Because spring is here. It's summer is on way and so forth. So he's just telling us, hey, look. Read the signs. Yeah.

Read the signs, but in order to see that something is coming. Something is coming. Look at the signs. You know, look at the signs. There's wars and rumors of wars and Jerusalem has fallen and all of these things.

Hey, the glorious day is coming. Keep your eye on that and persevere. And then the last thing, the last day my seventh point, is dangerous living. Make sure you're reading the signs. Read the fig tree.

Read the hawthorn. Read the blackthorn. Make sure you're reading the signs and therefore you're living correctly because that's what it's really all about. So dangerous living Well, be careful. You get back in verse 34 to 36.

Be careful or your hearts will be way down with corrosion. What's it was? How did you say? Carousing. Carrousing.

Carrousing. Thank you very much, brothers. Your heart will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness. And anxieties of life. And that day will close on you suddenly like a trap I'm just laying traps for the rats that we've got at the moment.

And you you you you put the trap out. Yeah? And you you leave it out for several days so the smell of human is gone and they get they get used to it. Then you put peanut butter in the trap. Yeah?

So that they get used to just putting their little noses in and nibbling a little bit of peanut butter. Yeah? Then after a few days, you set the trap and put peanut butter in. And by that time, they're so used to the peanut butter. They don't even think of trap.

And, yeah, Got them. That's what I'm hoping anyway. Now all you who that are at liberation front will go somewhere else. But what he's saying. There's there's there's people and and and they'll they'll pouring you in.

They'll give you a little bit of peanut butter. They'll make you get used to things. Be careful. Be careful, he says. It's dangerous living because it will trap you.

Don't live like that. Live in the light of the glorious son of God coming. Watch out for those that have machine, you know, learning fairness that are manipulate you and causing you to be immoral because that's what Silicon Valley is doing. Be careful all that because you'll start living in an immoral way and it will trap you. And then he says in verse 35 for it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.

Jesus is coming. Judgment is coming. Be always on your watch and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen. And that you may be able to stand before the son of man. So you won't have to run and hide and call the rocks to fall on you.

Because you've been immoral and ungodly that you will be able to say I'm living for Jesus. I'm looking for Jesus. I'm already standing up above the crowd. Whatever they say whatever manipulation or machine life learning they're trying to manipulate my brain into. I'm looking for Jesus because that's what life is about.

That's the future. He's the future. This is the glorious dazzling future. So there's dangerous living be aware of that. So there is just a quick overview of this chapter.

Deception number 1, devastation and disaster number 2, detestings, destruction of Jerusalem, dazzling glory drawing near, determined the times dangerous living. Let's pray. Father God help us to take the things that Jesus is talking about. That we would understand the future, that we would know what's going on around us, and that we would see these as birth pains to this glorious dazzling day when Jesus comes. Help us to stand up and live for him we pray in Jesus' name.

Oh, ma'am.