Prepare for the Coming Storm

Opening:

Please meet me in your copy of God’s word in Luke 12:54-59. In our church Bibles, you can find your place on pg.819. This is God’s Holy Word.

Luke 12:54–59 ESV

54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? 57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Prayer:

Father,

Today as we explore Luke 12:54-59, we ask that you would grant us spiritual discernment and insight. Help us recognize the signs of the times and respond to Your righteous judgment.Prepare our minds and hearts to grasp Your truth. The signs of the times are indeed upon us so in light of that we pray that your word would ignite within us a passion for reconciliation and obedience.

In Jesus' name, Amen."

Introduction:

Today in our time together, we come to the end of Luke 12. Luke 12 is a collection of Jesus teaching to his disciples but also intended for the larger crowd that was following them as they journeyed toward Jerusalem and ultimately the cross. Because the cross lay on the horizon for Jesus, his teaching became more intense. The chapter began with Jesus warning his disciples against hypocrisy and cautioning them to fear God rather than man. He went on to encourage them to have sincerity in their faith and to be courageous in confessing Christ as their Lord before others. From that he went on to caution them against the dangers of materialism in the parable of the rich fool illustrating for them that being rich before the Lord was far more important than earthly riches. From that he cautioned them against worry for earthly necessities, that instead of worry they need to trust and the providence of God to meet their every need. Then he shifted into multiple parables regarding faithful and unfaithful servants whose master was on a journey and returning at a time they did not know. In these parables he stressed the need of faithfulness and being ready for the Lord’s return. That upon his second coming to earth he would bring judgement upon those who do not follow him and reward to those who do.

Last week in vs.49-53 we witnessed Jesus give his followers what we called his “mission statement” defining his purpose. He did not come to bring unity and peace at all cost but instead, he came to bring judgement and division. He came to purge sin from the world through his death and resurrection. An act that would forever separate mankind into two categories: believers and unbelievers. This was an offensive message, yet he remained commited to his mission and urged his disciples to stand firm on the gospel, embracing its offense and the rejection it would bring.

Now, here, Jesus speaks to the crowd, as he was teaching his disciples.

The phrase “He also said to the crowds” uses the imperfect tense, which seems to indicate this was an ongoing and repetitive action. In other words he said this “while he talked” to his disciples. Or, “as he was saying also to the crowds.”

This tells us that while Jesus was teaching his disciples to expect strife because of him he also (at the same time) challenged the crowd to hear him regarding his second coming. He does this by using two illustrations: predicting the weather and and going to court.

He uses these illustrations too issue two warnings and its these warnings we will observe this morning.

A storm of judgement is here. (v.54-56)

Make the necessary preparations. (v.57-59)

1.) A storm of judgement is here. (v.54-56)

Luke 12:54–56 ESV

54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

While they lacked the modern tools that we do today, the people in Jesus day were able to discern the weather and they did this through observing patterns.

Jesus here identifies those patterns.

Cloud rising in the west = rain

Southerly wind blowing = it’s going to be a scorcher

They could do this because they knew that according to their geography rain always originated in the west off of the Mediterranean sea. As well, the Desert region of the Negev laid to the south, so if the wind was blowing in from a southerly direction they knew it was blowing that hot desert air their way.

If you were standing or sitting in the crowd, as Jesus turned to you, you probably were thinking two things.

Yeah, he’s right, anyone can really tell that. It’s not that hard to discern.

What is he getting at?

Then he calls them a bunch of “Hypocrites” in v.56.

This is a charge Jesus levied often against the Jewish people, especially their religious leaders because their piety and spirituality was false. They proclaimed allegiance to God but their faith was only to external means while their hearts were distant.

Now, if you’re like me, when you read that, you might be thinking, Jesus, I don’t understand the connection between weather forecasting and hypocrisy.

A.) The connection

Here is the connection point Christ is making:

The people were readily able to make weather predictions based on very little evidence and yet they have mounting evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, God made flesh and yet they reject him.

1.) What evidence?

His words

Matthew 7:28–29 ESV

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

John 7:46 ESV

46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

His miracles and works

John 10:25 ESV

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me,

Luke 11:20 ESV

20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

His sinless life

John 8:46 ESV

46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

Luke 9:20 ESV

20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

They could read the weather and tell when a storm was on the horizon, but they couldn't read the signs of the times that a moral and spiritual storm of judgement was blowing into the world through the work Jesus had already accomplish and the work that would be accomplished upon the cross.

2.) Why is it they could discern weather patterns but were so dense when it came to spiritual matters?

The answer is simple. They didn’t want to see the spiritual evidence that Christ was their messiah. They were willfully ignorant.

They pretended to not have enough evidence to convince them that Jesus was the Christ of God, constantly demanding more signs and wonders. When the simple reality was that Jesus didn't fit the image they had made messiah to be. They demanded a military savior not a spiritual one who diagnosed their sin.

John 1:11 ESV

11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Failing to forecast the coming storm of judgement from God upon sin brought on by Jesus entrance into the world was their downfall.

Application: We are no different today. We pay far more attention to what is blowing in from the west than we do the spiritual storm on the horizon. That’s why we know more about celebrity fashion, and musical touring schedules, sports teams and our favorite political figures nominations than we do of God and the fact that he will soon return to judge this world and all who are in it.

2 Peter 3:3–7 ESV

3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Friends the prevailing winds are there if we’re willing to watch for them. They signal the firestorm of the wrath of God’s judgement, that most want to ignore.

We live in a world that despite the word of God and the witness of the church for centuries rejects the gospel. Rejects that Jesus died for their sin according to the scriptures, was buried and rose again on the third day. We live in a society that calls good evil and evil good, worships money, glorifies perversion, makes heres out of villains, murders unwanted babies and worships self.

Friends a storm of Judgement from God is upon us. The warnings have been issued, their echoes reverberate from the pages of scripture.

It’s time to:

2. Make the necessary preparations. (v.57-59)

After, warning the crowd of an approaching storm of Judgement sent from God, he now shifts and gives the people some advice about preparing for judgement.

Luke 12:57–59 ESV

57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

This is a small parable to illustrate that every one on the crowd (and us) are guilty and headed toward judgement. It was a challenge for the people to examine their lives in regards to their sin.

A.) The Parable

The parable was a cenario that would have made sense to them because it was a familiar situation to appear before a magistrate in a legal matter. In this case, perhaps for a financial issue.

The job of the magistrate was to preside over a hearing to see if their was sufficient evidence to proceed with a case before a judge whose job it would be to determine if the person was guilty. If the judge determined guilt, he would turn the person over to the officer in charge of the prison who would then incarcerate the criminal into debtors prison where the guilty party would not leave until every last penny of his debt was paid.

Jesus encouragement was to settle the debt with the accuser before it was too late.

This was a gospel call to the crowd to repent of their rejection of Christ before they stand before the judge of the universe and he settles them.

It pictures sinners on their way to the great white throne judgement, where they will be pronounced guilty and sentenced for all eternity to hell to pay for their sin.

Revelation 20:11–15 ESV

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The warning of Jesus here in our text is to carefully discern the threat of Judgement like they discern the weather and the repayment of a debt before it’s too late.

Hebrews 9:27 ESV

27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,

Application: Friends, We need to prepare to stand before our righteous judge by realizing that we are all sinners who are indeed guilty and deserving of being cast into eternal damnation.

But, there is a way of escape. Jesus work upon the cross provides the free and total pardon of our debt so that we do not face God’s judgement.

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

“By His obedience, He has wiped off our transgressions; by His sacrifice, appeased the divine anger; by His blood, washed away our sins; by His cross, borne our curse; and by His death, made satisfaction for us” (“Calvin’s Reply to Sadoleto,” in John C. Olin, ed., A Reformation Debate [Reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976], 66–67).

It is because of this we can call out for forgiveness and seek Christ.

John 5:24 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Those who come to Jesus in repentance and faith in him as Lord never have to come into the court room of the “Great White Throne”, because their case has been settled and they have passed from death into life.

Conclusion:

Friends, a storm is on the horizon, discern the time we are in, recognize the judgment of God upon the horizon for all those who reject Christ. Repent of your sin and seek Christ pardon before it’s too late.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)

…Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Romans 10:8–10 ESV

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

The time has come to settle up with Christ, before he returns to judge the world.