Living Ready; Not Distracted

Introduction

Has distraction ever cost you dearly?

When we first moved to Richmond in 2018 we lived in an apartment complex in Mechanicsville. One day I was at the play ground with Noah and Levi who were at the time 9 and 6.

Now I don’t remember how this game got started but we found ourselves in an intense game of “Shoe Dogdgeball”. It’s pretty much what it sounds like.

It’s just a nicer way to say I was chucking my kids tennis shoes at them while they tried to dodge them. It was a blast and we really got into it.

The park equipment, like most, was this multi-leveled structure with slides, monkey bars, climbing poles and plenty of room underneath for a 6 year old to be able to run at full speed.

And so Noah and Levi were running around the equipment dodging, jumping, and hiding in an attempt to avoid my enthusiastic shoe missles.

But along the way I got distracted. I started focusing on Noah becuase once or twice he dodged what I thought were sure hits. And I’m competitive.

So I took off my shoes too for more ammunition. As I began a salvo of sneaker bombs on my oldest son I noticed that I didn’t know where Levi was.

I continued throwing shoes at Noah and darting my eyes around looking for Levi and then it occured to me—too late—to look down.

Taking advantage of my distraction Levi stole away, jumped to the ground and sprinted toward me underneath the playground equipment.

Let me set the scene for you—time slows down. Shoes are flying through the air. Noah is dodging. Levi has disappeared. I step back just one step so I can peek under the deck of the playground and what do I see?

Levi had made his way to me and was 3/4ths of the way into a full-body punch at the only area of my body that was readily available to him.

It was too late—there was nothing I could do.

Time sped up Levi’s punch found it’s target and I crumpled to the ground throughly defeated and in great pain. I wish someone had caught it on video.

Distraction cost me dearly that day?

Distraction can make us miss what’s most important—like keeping track of both your sons in a game of “Shoe Dodgeball”.

Our text warns us today about distraction and living a distracted life that leads us to be surprised and unready for the return of Jesus.

The main point of our passage today comes to us in v.34. Luke 21:34 ““But 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.”

Here’s the bottom line for us this morning—We want to live ready; not distracted.

Let’s read the text together—this is God’s holy, matchless word. It is living and active and God uses it to shape our hearts and minds.

Read the Bible

Pray with me. (Pray)

This morning we’re going to talk about Heavenly Signs, a Fig Tree, and A Warning. First...

I. Heavenly Signs (25-28)

The first part of our text this morning is a continuation of what pastor Joel taught last Sunday. So in case you weren’t here or need a refresher let me recap a bit.

Jesus and the disciples are in the temple and the disciples say, “Hey Jesus, impressive right?!”

To which Jesus responds, “There’s coming a day when all of this is going to be utterly destroyed.” Jesus prophecies the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple which took place in AD 70.

And Jesus continues by talking about more signs that we’ll see in the “final days” of this last age.

And Pastor Joel made an important clarification last Sunday that I’ll repeat.

From the time of Christ’ ascenion into heaven we have been in the “final days” of this last age.

This text mentions things that have happened, like the destruction of the Jerusalem and the temple and things that are happening and have happened throughout these “final days” the past 2000+ years such as natural disasters, wars, pestilences, and famines.

And our text this morning continues talking about this topic with signs that have yet to come. Verse 25 picks up and continues Jesus’ answer to the disciples with some pretty exciting stuff.

Listen again to verses 25-27

Luke 21:25–27 ESV

“And 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. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

The “and then” of verse 27 lets us know that these signs directly preceed the coming of Jesus. Once these heavenly signs take place, then Jesus will return.

And the heavenly signs that we see described here are not common. They are not “blood moons” or planets lining up or asteroids or anything else that has been happening since God created the cosmos.

Rather what we see here are signs that make no sense. When observed the human response is to faint from “fear and foreboding” our text says.

The people who witness this are perplexed at what they are seeing or maybe not seeing in the heavens and they are perplexed at the behavior of the ocean.

The sky has been being watched and predicted since the beginning of man. And when these signs begin to take place the nations of the earth are in distress because as they observe the sky what they are seeing doesn’t make sense to them. It will seem as if the laws of nature have been broken.

All things are governed by God—even our “laws of nature”. Colossians 1:17 tells us that all things hold together in Jesus. All stars, atoms, everything is goverened by a sovereign God.

It would seem that when these signs take place what Christ currently holds together in order he will allow to go out of order as signs preceding his return.

And this shouldn’t surprise us—God many times in history has interuppted the “regular workings of nature” as signs to His people. The burning bush, the red sea, miraculous healings, the sun standing still—to name a few.

When these unprecedented things take place then Jesus will return.

Luke 21:27 “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

Exciting stuff. Good movies are made from this kind of material. And with such things at the beginning of our passage we could get swept up in it. And people do.

But the main point of our text this morning is to be reminded that we want to live life ready; not distracted. These signs are not our main focus in this passage.

And we start to see this as we move into the parable that Jesus then tells the disciples.

II. A Fig Tree (29-33)

Read Luke 21:29-31

Luke 21:29–31 ESV

And he told them a parable: “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.

It is true that no one knows the time of Jesus’ return. We don’t know and can’t know the date and time when He will come again. There is no secret formula in the Bible hidden in the pages of Daniel and Revelation to discover. Many have tried and all have failed.

We are not to look at these things that Jesus is saying and spend our time and energy trying to decipher the puzzle.

But what is clear here, is that Jesus is telling his disciples and us not to be unaware of his return.

He says if you can look at the fig tree and by its leaves know that summer is coming—you should be able to see all that I am telling you and know that we are in the last days and I’m coming again.

Jesus wants us to be aware that what he is saying throughout this whole passage from vv.6-28 will take place. Just as his prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction was proved true—all these things will come to pass. To make sure there is no confusion he makes two statements to let us know that these incredible things will happen.

One we can readily and easily understand. Luke 21:33 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

Jesus says, “My words will persist forever.”

It was by the very words of God that all of creation came into being. Jesus with his words commanded the wind and waves. With His words he called the dead back to life. “Heaven and earth will pass away— but my words will persist and come to pass.

That’s pretty clear.

But we also have verse 32. Which is less clear. “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.”

This statement is a paradox. In one sense it’s clear but in another sense it’s not.

What’s clear is that the meaning is the same—these things absolutely will take place. But the less clear question is…Who is “this generation”.

I don’t want to get bogged down here because the main point of our passage this morning is that we want to live life ready; not distracted. So I don’t want to camp here too long because figuring out “this generation” isn’t the point of the passage. But let me give you some things to think about...

Let me tell you what “this generation” cannot mean and then I’ll tell you at least two things it could mean.

This generation cannot mean the current generation that Jesus is talking to in this passage. Jesus wasn’t saying that the first disciples would not die until these things took place. They have died and all these things have not taken place.

This generation linguistically in the Greek could be referring to time instead of people and could be rendered “this age” will not pass until all this takes place. This would mean that Jesus is doubling down and saying, “Everything I’ve said will take place—this final church age will not end until all has taken place. My words will come to pass.” So verse 32 could mean that.

This generation could also mean that Jesus is referring to the generation that is alive when these final things of verses 25-28 begin to take place. When the perplexing heavenly signs begin to take place the generation that is alive then will not die before Jesus returns. Verse 32 could mean that.

Here’s the thing—these things are interesting to think about—but they are not the main point of our passage.

Jesus is telling us these things for a purpose that we don’t want to miss.

If you have been wondering, “Okay what is the purpose of all this? Why are you telling us these things Jesus? Don’t worry He tells us now in v.34.

III. The Warning (34-38)

Luke 21:34 ““But 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.”

First let’s notice the warning. The warning is, “But watch yourselves lest your heart be weighed down and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.”

In verses 6-28 of Luke 21 Jesus talks about signs of the “final days” that we are living in. In verses 29-33 Jesus gives a parable whose main point is to be aware and alert that all these things will take place and that Jesus is coming back.

And then here in v.34 Jesus tells us gives us an important warning. “My words will come to pass…but watch out because your heart can become weighed down, you can become distracted, and my return could come on you suddenly like a trap.

We’re going to talk about what weighs the heart down in a minute but focus with me for a moment on the trap.

The idea is here is like a snare.

If you want to catch an animal with a snare you find it’s common footpaths and you place the snare where you know they’ll be walking. And what happens is the animal is going about it’s every day regular business and then suddenly it finds itself caught in a trap.

For many the return of Jesus will be a sudden surprise. Matthew 24:37–39 tells us this:

“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

But this should not be so for believers. We are not to be unpleasantly surprised with the return of Christ. Meeting Jesus face to face should not feel like a sudden trap.

Instead it should be like v.28. Luke 21:28 “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.””

We should be aware that Christ is coming back so that when we meet him we straighten up, raise our heads, and look forward to the drawing near of our redemption. And this isn’t just a head knowledge…but it should be evident in the way our life is lived.

When Jesus gives an example in scripture of what a faithful servant of his looks like, it is the servant who is found doing the business of the master when the master returns.

The warning here is that the cares of this world can keep us from living a life ready for Christ.

Those who hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” are not those who are distracted but those who are ready and living their lives in anticipation of when they will meet Jesus.

And while this text mentions directly those who are surprised in the day of Jesus return we who are living before those days are not let off the hook here.

Churh the truth is you’ll either meet Jesus when He returns or you’ll meet him at your death but either way you’ll meet him. Let that day, for us, not feel like we’ve fallen into a trap.

And let us take the warning seriously. Because Jesus would not warn us about this if it were not an actual danger.

And Jesus tells us how this can happen.

Look with me again at v.34, Luke 21:34 ““But 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.”

Distracted. Consumed. Unstable. Exhausted. We all feel these things sometimes, but is your life characterized by them? Are you weighed down with the cares of this life?

And it can be large sprawling concerns like the things talked about in this passage, wars, disease, sickeness—we can be consumed and primarily focused on what’s happening, wondering how it will affect us.

And it can be more down to earth concerns about what we will eat and what we will wear. About our marriages, our children, our work, our chores, our to-do lists, our fill in the blank over and over again.

A life spent this way is a squandered life—that what dissipation means.

Even though our lives here are temporary, we can live as if this is our eternity. But it’s not. We know we should store our treasures in heaven but we can often be found stockpiling them here. But friends... we cannot spend earthly currency in a heavenly economy.

Transition: So how do we heed this warning, how do we avoid this danger of having our hearts weighed down

4 Ways we can fight this

1. Come to Christ. Maybe this morning you’ve never put your hope and your faith and your trust in Jesus for your salvation. And as I’m talking about a weighed down heart filled with the worry of this life you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I have really good news for you. God wants you to be a citizen of a much better kingdom. He wants you to be free from the tyranny of this world. He wants His return to feel like coming home instead of a trap. If that appeals to you, if you want that come and let me or Joel know. Be courageous and come to the Lord who loves you.

2. Fill our hearts with eternity.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Colossians 3:1–3 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Read the Word often and talk about it. Read good books that spur you on to faithfulness. Listen to sermons, watch spiritual movies, memorize scripture.

If a heart consumed with the world weighs us down and distracts but a heart filled with eternity will lift us up and give us a hunger for our God.

3. Pray. Luke 21:36 “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.””

Pray for perseverance as you live in these “final days”. Pray that your heart would be focused on Christ. Pray that when you become distracted God would show you and that he would strengthen you. God delights to answer these prayers that lead us to faithfulness. So pray boldly for yourself and with confidence about these things.

4. Live the life of a faithful servant. Be found doing the work of Christ when you meet Christ. Friends, God is going to get his glory with or without us, so let it be with us.

When Johnathan Edwards was 19 he wrote 70 resolutions for his life. Number 6 says, “Resolved to live with all my might, while I do live.”

What would it look like for you to live with all your might for God in this season of your life right now?

Maybe I ask you that question and you immediately know—the Holy Spirit has been prompting you for awhile now and He’s doing it again.

Or maybe you don’t know, but what you do know is that you need to be doing something. Life has been far to distracted. If that’s where you are at the church is a good place for you to explore what it would look like for you to be living your life out as a faithful servant. I’m sure Pastor Joel would be delighted to have people say to him, “I want to serve God but I’m not sure what to do.”

Conclusion

Here’s what I can promise you—if you are seeking to live life ready; instead of distracted then God will meet your willingness and prayer with opportunities.

And I want that for you and me. Because a life lived ready for the return of Christ is the best life. There is joy and satisfaction and meaning and purpose there. But most of all our good God is there. In Heaven we will have communion with God unhindered but we can sample that dish now when we pour our lives out for HIm.

Distraction during a game of “shoe dodgeball” is costly. But a life squandered in distraction; that’s a disaster. Let’s resolve today to live our lives ready; not distracted. Amen? Let’s pray.