Luke 21:25-36 The sun came up
this morning just as it always has-- and it will go down tonight just as it
always has—and the moon will rise just as it always has. The earth is beneath our feet, the sky is
above us, and the oceans are kept within their boundaries.
That’s the way it
has always been and even the chronic worry warts among us never give these
astronomical and geographical facts a second thought. But what we take for granted in the heavens
and on earth-- won’t always be that way.
Jesus says:
“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.
What has existed
in the natural world from the very beginning of time--what countless
generations have experienced to be true and constant--will change as the
broken-ness of creation that is due to human sin reaches its final, horrible
conclusion and the heavens and the earth and the oceans will begin to come
apart at the seams.
In the midst of
these signs in the physical world, Jesus will return and all people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory.
When Christ
ascended into heaven, he promised his disciples he would come again exactly as
he left. And so he will return again–down
to the last detail–just like he promised—and if this is the faithfulness with
which Christ will fulfill his promise to return, we can be confident that
Christ is faithfully fulfilling his other promises to us: promises to bless us
and forgive us–promises to abide with us and provide for us.
When Christ came
the first time, he came in the meekness and humility of a little baby. But when he comes again, he will come in
power and glory–everyone will see him, know him to be the King of Glory, and
bow their knees in either in faith or in fear.
Everyone!
During Jesus’ life
upon this earth it was possible to ignore him.
He never preached to great crowds.
As hung upon the cross outside of Jerusalem, people turned their heads
away--glad that some criminal was getting what he deserved. As he comes today through Word and Sacraments,
we know how often he is ignored, scorned, and ridiculed.
But when Christ comes
again, he will come with power and glory–the fullness of his divinity shining
through his human flesh and everyone in the world will see him and know him for
who he really is: the living God of the universe who brings judgment and
redemption.
On that day, there
will be distress among the nations and people will faint with fear. And why not?
Everything that unbelievers have lived their lives for–everything that
they have trusted in–everything that has filled their lives to the exclusion of Christ, will pass
away. Everything that has taken the place of Christ in the
lives of unbelievers will be destroyed.
In God’s perfect
judgment, their empty way of life and foolish thinking will be shown for what
it is. Can you imagine it? Everything gone in an instant and the only
thing that will have ever mattered is what their relationship was with Jesus
Christ--and then the horrible realization that they had traded it away for things that no longer exist.
I can not imagine
anything more horrible than to stand in the presence of the Son of Man knowing
that I had rejected him in life. No
wonder they will be filled with fear and distress!
But for the
believer, just the opposite is true. In
the midst of these frightening signs, even with the world crashing down around
us, we don’t have to be afraid, we don’t have to run and hide. We can lift up our heads-- and see our
redemption draw near as Christ returns. He
says:
Now when these things
begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your
redemption is drawing near.”
On the day of our
Lord’s return, we won’t have hide our face in shame or cower in fear. We will stand in his presence blameless and
holy–not because we are perfect--but because, through faith in Jesus, the Lord
is our righteousness and his perfect righteousness avails in the time of trial
and judgment.
When Christ returns
in glory and power all that we know and believe and hope for and trust in by
faith will be proved true for the world to see and we will be vindicated for having
put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
All of the
blessings that Jesus earned for us in his perfect life, bloody death, and
glorious resurrection will be ours for eternity. Our full redemption will be at hand.
Of course that
begs the question, if Christ brings full redemption at his second coming what
is it that I have now by faith? Well,
redemption!
Christ has
redeemed us, that is bought us back with the price of his own shed blood on the
cross from slavery to sin, death, and the devil. These evil foes that he has redeemed us from have no right to us at all–we are
God’s own children through faith in Jesus and we live in the power of his
resurrection life.
And yet in this
sinful broken world we still feel the painful attacks and effects of our spiritual
enemies: we are tempted by the devil, the effects of sin batter us about as we
become sick or suffer some other misfortune, and one day, unless the Lord comes
first, we will die.
But when Christ
comes again, the fullness of our redemption will come with him. We will see with perfect clarity what Christ
has redeemed us for. On that day, we will no longer struggle under
the burden of our sinful flesh. No
longer will the hateful effects of sin bring disease and disaster and heartache
into our lives. No longer will we stand
beside the grave side of a loved one and mourn their passing.
When Christ comes
again, it will be a day of rejoicing for all who have received him in faith and
trusted in him for salvation. Not a time
for fear or worry or anguish–not a time to run and hide-- but a time to look up
and see our Savior who comes to us with all the blessings of Almighty God.
Knowing this and
looking forward to it in faith, how then are we to live our lives as we look
forward with joy to that day? Jesus says:
“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 on 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.”
As we wait for the
Lord’s return, we are to be careful so that we don’t let our hearts get weighed
down by drunkenness and the anxieties of this life. Jesus warns us about this because even we
Christians are susceptible to this temptation.
This is a
difficult world we live in. There is so much fear and uncertainty that plagues
our lives at times. The devil offers us
an easy solution: drown your sorrows with alcohol or some other substance or
thing like drugs or pornography. Even
Christians have to be on guard so that we don’t fall victim to the devil’s lie
that these are easy ways to deal with the pain of living in a broken world.
These things do
not offer freedom and relief but an ever deeper slavery and addiction to the
things of this world and ultimately to the prince of this world. Satan uses these things to delude us into
thinking that the emptiness that we feel in our lives can be fixed by something
other than God.
That is a lie--
and to continue on in a satanic delusion that anything other than God is the
way to feel better about life will lead to the death of our soul. When we are imprisoned by these Satanic shackles,
the day of judgment will fall upon us like a trap and then it will be too late.
Jesus does not
want this to happen to anyone and so he tells us ahead of time to be watchful
for the signs of his coming—which are as clear as the signs in nature. He says:
“Look at the fig
tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in 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. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass
away.
According to the
Lord’s own promise, the generation of those who know the signs of his coming
and look expectantly and faithfully for the coming of the Son of Man has never
passed away. The gates of hell will not
prevail against us!
To make sure that
we remain steadfast, Christ tells us that we are to strengthen our hearts by
watching and praying and making use of God’s Word which endures forever.
That means that we
are present at the Divine Service when the Word is read and preached and that
we receive Holy Absolution. It means
that devotions and prayers are an important part of our life at home. It means that we receive Christ’s true body
and blood in the Sacrament-often- as God’s own promise that the blessings of
Jesus’ death and resurrection are for us personally and individually.
Amidst all the
uncertainty around us, we don’t have to be apprehensive or fearful. Even when the world itself comes to an end we
don’t have to be afraid. God loves
us. He has sent his Son into this world
to live and die for us. And he is coming
again to bring us the fullness of our redemption–a life of peace and joy and
blessing that will never end. Amen.
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