Dear church,
Luke 21:5-28 is about the future. Jesus says there will be wars, disasters, and persecution. It’s natural when we hear or read about these things to be afraid. However, that’s the opposite of what Jesus tells us to do. He tells us to be wise, share the good news of Jesus, and trust God. That sounds great, but its much easier said than done. Instead of trusting God, most people want Him to give them a detailed account of His plans. Instead of living according to the wisdom God has already given them, most people want choices made obvious to them. Instead of sharing the Gospel, most people would rather shy away from confessing their faith in Christ.
There will come a time when the world, as we know it, will come to an end. Jesus will return. Prior to that there will be trouble, violence, and death, Luke 21 makes that clear. However, as we read this passage, we should be careful to hear what Jesus means to say. The violence is not His main point. Natural disasters and famine are not the point. The point is that God is sovereign. None of it will happen outside of His will or control. This should give us, as those who have been called and saved by God, great hope and assurance. In fact, as Jesus says, it will give us powerful chances to preach the good news of hope in Him. Many people mistake the reason for Jesus saying what He says here and what the Bible says in several other places. They search for signs or hidden clues as to the exact timing when all of these things will occur, but that is not the purpose of its teaching and it is never asked of God’s people. When we do that, we take our focus off of what Jesus has clearly commanded us to do: live wisely, share boldly, and hope confidently.
That’s what we will talk about this Sunday morning. It’s easier said than done, but we will ask God to give us the grace to live with faith in Him. I love worshiping with our church family on Sundays. I hope you will make it a priority to be there.
For the sake of His name,
Pastor Adam
