Pentecost 23 (Proper 28C) 2022

Text: Luke 21:28 “28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Do You See Them?

His disciples saw the signs that led up to the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D.

They saw nation rise against nation; they saw kingdom rise against kingdom; there were earthquakes, famines, pestilences. They were persecuted; they were delivered up to the synagogues and prisons; they were brought before governors and kings for the sake of Christ’s name. They bore witness before the nations. They bore witness with their words; with the very wisdom of God; with their lives. They were delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends and many were put to death.

And they were delivered. Even though they were hated by all for His name’s sake, not a hair of their heads perished. Because they recognized the signs, church history records that all of the believers had left Jerusalem. When they saw Jerusalem surrounded by Roman legions, they understood that its desolation had come near. Those in Judea fled to the mountains, those in the city departed as Jerusalem was trampled underfoot by the Gentiles.

They saw the signs. They understood what they meant. Do you?

Some of those same signs carry through to also signify Christ’s return— wars and rumors of wars; earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes; famines, plagues, and pandemics. In addition, there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars.

In addition to those, Jesus says there will be “distress of nations in perplexity..., 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world” (Lk 21:25).

That one is a little harder to see at the moment, but it’s there. It’s there, although it’s in its early stages. For now, we see it in things like the celebrations surrounding the passage of Michigan Proposal 3 (2022) this past week, adding a right to abortion to the state constitution. That’s only a small piece of it, of course.

One political commentator has written about the rise of a new political group: the “transgressives.” There are conservatives and there are progressives. You’re familiar with who they are and what they support. But now there are also the ‘transgressives.’ Their goal isn’t to pass legislation, per se. Their goal is more fundamental. Their goal is to “normalize transgressive ideas that break down traditional values and seduce confused or impressionable people, especially children” (Pearce, Tim. “Shapiro At Texas A&M: Transgressives Are Tearing Down Society, Starting With Your Kids.” www.dailywire.com, Nov. 1, 2022). If it shocks, if it rejects any standard of ‘normal’, and especially if it brashly declares that good is evil and evil is good, then that’s what they’re in favor of. So they dress men up in depraved costumes and put them in front of children for story time. And anyone who questions whether or not that’s appropriate is evil.

This is an expression of the fear that they will not be able to escape on Judgment Day.

They know that God’s Word condemns their evil deeds and desires, so they write them into earthly constitutions in a futile effort to try to convince themselves that evil is good.

But the legality of abortion will not change their guilt on the last day.

Dressing up in depraved costumes will not shield them when they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

None of it can truly lessen their distress, their fear, their foreboding of the judgment that is coming on the world.

They see the signs. Do you?

The signs are all around you. And those signs will only increase as time goes by because it’s not a political battle. It’s a spiritual battle.

The evil one sees the signs, as well. Knowing that his time is short, he goes to and fro to make war on God’s people (Rev. 12:17; 13:7).

He delights in uttering haughty and blasphemous words against God and against His Church (Rev. 13:6).

He makes the earth and its inhabitants worship him; he deceives those who dwell on the earth; he persecutes those who will not worship him (Rev. 13:13-17)

They see the signs. He sees the signs. Do you?

What we see far too often is God’s people being busybodies rather than busy at work.

As the poet William Butler Yeats put it: “The best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” While their fear, distress, and foreboding are already playing out before our eyes, while they are busy at their evil work, we, by contrast, are busybodies (2 Thess. 3:11).

The list of things that we find to fight over in the church is really amazing. The evil one is hard at work. Meanwhile, you and I are fighting over what time our services should start.

Christ and His Church are intrusions into your life.

You have the opportunity to support the preaching of the gospel that delivers people from the fear, distress, and foreboding of the coming judgment. But you’re too busy with other things to give of your time to serve in the church.

Let’s leave serving aside for a moment. You have the opportunity to receive His grace that prepares you from the coming judgment, delivering you from any fear, distress, or foreboding. It is a free gift, offered here each week and, through His Word, any time you need it. It’s here for you to receive— to hear, to taste.

But not during the summers, because you’ll be camping; or not during the summers because you have softball tournaments; and not next week because it’s deer season.

The signs are swirling around you every single day, but the Good News of Jesus Christ is still not important enough to talk about at home. You have more important things to do— you have more important things like politics and elections to talk about; you have more important things to do like binge-watching the latest popular TV series; and, of course, you have your pet sins that you give your time to first.

Stand Up.

It’s time. The Son of Man is coming.

It’s time to get your heads out of your Netflix queue and stand up. Stand up, open your eyes, and recognize what is going on all around you.

You can’t play around any longer. We can’t pretend that half of the things that we spend our time fighting over are important. They’re not. The time has come. Stand up and lift up your heads. Recognize the signs that an even greater judgment is coming than what the disciples witnessed coming upon Jerusalem.

How can you be any less anxious for that day than the world around us is? What they look forward to with fear and foreboding, you can look forward to with expectation. You know the One who is coming.

By His death you have been delivered from this world of darkness— of fear, distress, and foreboding— and transferred to the kingdom of the beloved son, in whom you have redemption(Col. 1:13, Eph. 1:7)

The Son of Man is coming in a cloud with power and great glory but, the first time He came, it was in humility and weakness. It was to suffer and die to redeem you from your sins. (Hebrews 9:15) His sacrificial death is the propitiation that redeems you. (Rom. 3:22-25) By taking upon Himself all of your sins— every reason you had for fear, distress, and foreboding— Christ Jesus became… [your] redemption… (1 Cor. 1:30)

Stand up and see the signs, and know that your redemption is drawing near.

Your Redemption Is Drawing Near

That day of judgment is now, for you, the day of redemption. You have been sealed with/by the Holy Spirit for that day (Eph. 4:30).

He is the guarantee of your inheritance until you {redeem} possession of it on that day to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:14)

The nations are terrified and perplexed at the signs but, while they are fainting with fear and foreboding at what is coming on the world you are waiting eagerly for your redemption. While they’re fainting with fear at the roaring of the sea and the waves (Luke 21:25), you cry out with the psalmist: “Psalm 98:8-9 “8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” I assure you, the sea, the waves, the rivers, the hills, they’re all groaning for that day. All of creation is groaning— groaning with you— waiting eagerly for your adoption as sons, the redemption of your bodies (Rom. 8:23).

Stand up and lift up your heads. For your redemption is drawing near.

In the meantime, do not be idle. Do not walk in idleness, as busybodies, but busy at work (2 Thess. 3:11).

As the apostle Peter wrote:

1 Peter 5:8-9 “8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

1 Peter 4:7-11 “7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Do not walk in idleness. Stand up and lift up your head. See the signs. “Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:25).

And be busy at the work of Christ and His Church.

About four years ago now a really interesting movie came out called “Paul, Apostle of Christ” (2018) It was interesting, in part, because of the depiction of the Apostle Paul, toward the end of his life, while he was in prison in Rome. That was well done.

But what was even more interesting to me was the way it portrayed the struggle faced by the other believers in Rome— the incredibly difficult decision they faced.

On the one hand, they were persecuted. Their loved ones were being thrown to the wild beasts in the colosseum. They literally could not walk the streets of Rome without passing the charred remains of fellow Christians who had been covered in tar, tied to posts, and lit on fire to provide light at night. How could they possibly stay?

On the other hand, Rome was their home. And not only was it their home, but their neighbors were suffering. They were hungry; they were sick; they, too, were terrified. And so, while many Christians fled Rome, many others stayed there in Rome— at great risk to their own lives— to care for them. To comfort them. To share with them the ultimate comfort of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. How could they leave?

The one thing that they were not was idle. They didn’t have the time, they didn’t have the luxury of being busybodies. They had to be busy at the work of Christ and His Church.

That’s just as true for you and me today. You don’t have the time, you don’t have the luxury of being busybodies— of worrying about how comfortable you are; of complaining simply because you don’t like something; of allowing yourself to be distracted and busy with things that really don’t matter. The work is so important. The need is so great.

Let’s go back to proposal 3 for a moment. What is it that we were hoping to accomplish? To be sure, we were giving a faithful witness to God’s Word. Thanks be to God that we did that. And we’ll continue to do that.

But let me take a step back for a minute. In the end our state would not have been more righteous today if the proposal had been defeated. If it had been defeated, our state would still be just as sinful, just as wicked, with just as much reason to fear the return of the Son of Man.

What we hoped to accomplish was preventing a tremendous amount of suffering and harm that will continue as long as abortion is legal. That work is never finished, whether abortion is legal or not.

“58 [Brothers and sisters in Christ], be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Do not grow weary of doing good (2 Thess. 3). That is, after all, the example you have from the apostles and the saints who have gone before you. Imitate them (2 Thess. 3:7).

“9 And let us [also] not grow weary of doing good, [because] in due season we will reap [a harvest of righteousness], if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Your neighbors are suffering. They’re hungry; they’re sick; they’re terrified by the growing signs that they see all around them. Worse, they insist on bringing more and more harm on themselves in a desperate attempt to deceive themselves that they can be spared on judgment day. You have the chance to help at least some. To ease their suffering. To help them through the difficulties of this life. You also have the opportunity to offer them the peace of knowing the coming Son of Man not just as their judge but as their Redeemer.

“28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).