It’s Not About That

Good morning family, I'm Andrew one of the pastors here and today we'll be doing part two of the sermon we started last week.

Now this is a long passage so hang in there. Also feel free to read along with XX because one of our house rules here is “participation is better than observation”.

Well how about that scripture.

Some of y'all might be thinking I came on the wrong day.

Because normally you come to church hoping to get some encouragement AND inspiration

AND now you feel like you got tricked to come on the Sunday where the church is talking about Doom AND gloom and fire AND brimstone

Well my intent is to give us some biblical hope through this passage even though the content doesn't seem to be good.

So if you're new here welcome, come back next week. Pastor David is the lead Pastor, so if I say anything today that messes with your theological understanding of this passage take it up with him.

NOW I know many of us may be on the edge of our seats squirming even right now, after hearing a passage like that,

As it speaks of the end times and what will it be like.

Personally I have tried throughout my entire life Christian journey, I have tried to avoid passages like this because I didn't understand it and uncertainty breeds fear.

In fact many churches will skip over passages like this to not deal with the anxiety of this passage.

Which is why it's good we are reading through Luke BECAUSE we can't skip it.

But next to Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount; this is his second longest sermon of Jesus AND it was captured in Matthew and Marks account as well.

So this was obviously something important and shows Jesus had a lot to say about the end. OR is it about the end?

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We ended last week’s message with the disciples being faced with an uncomfortable truth about the reality of this life and the radical new kingdom of God that is coming.

But instead of giving that uncomfortableness to Jesus and asking him what should we do with this

They acted like us when confronted with the truth of scripture

We act like we dont hear it; say it doesnt apply to us in this time; and then go find other things in the bible to talk about.

Like which party is God's party when we vote, OR why does the Bible talk about this thing I don't like OR how come the bible doesnt explicitly say this.

It's like Pastor David said last week we are trying to be the judge of scripture by evaluating God’s word; instead of letting God’s word evaluate us.

And why do we do that? I believe at some level, it's because we want some level of control/ some level of say in our lives.

Going back to our text, this control urge is at play at verse 7, WHEN Jesus' top leaders ask two big questions with regards to the end. WHAT is going to happen and WHEN is it going to happen.

Not WHY these things are going to occur? because that answer is humanity has gone wayward and God has to correct it,

No, no, no… we don't want to hear anything about that;

Just tell me whats going to happen and when its going to happen (so I know how long I can cut up/ live the way i want to/ do what I feel like doing/ How much time I actually have before I got to get all this stuff straight.)

You see the question of WHY would have sought the intent of jesus's heart BUT the question of WHAT and WHEN seeks the intent of our heart

What can we control; how much can we control; and how much can we manipulate in the mean time.

(One question to consider this week) What parts of your life have you kept away from Jesus, so that you can do what you want?

So disciples were shocked about the news of the end, Jesus responds with his favorite comforting words “DO NOT BE AFRAID” only this time he says “DO NOT BE TERRIFIED”.

Because the level of stuff that is indicated in this passage goes beyond regular fear this is like some catastrophic event type stuff where people are passing out from fear.

DO YOU KNOW how scared you got to be to pass out from fear?

My wife showed me a video not to long ago where this woman is playing a trick on her man.

{She was laying in bed acting like she was sleep while he played the game. But she had red paint on her hand.

So when she moaned and rolled over to touch his shoulder; the man felt the wet hand AND saw the red paint; stood up in a panic with a loud scream and passed out against the wall.}

So Fear that causes you to pass out was the level of terror Jesus was describing

AND Then Jesus puts the icing on the cake when he says something that should be reassuring but doesn't sound reassuring; when he says, “these things MUST take place”.

Meaning we can't avoid it; we can't get around it; it's a definite, it's going to happen; sho nuff.

NOW I don't know about you; but I try to avoid anything that will cause me harm in life,

But although this sounds bad; it is not bad for those who believe in Christ,

BECAUSE (for those who believe in Christ) the phrase DO NOT BE AFRAID about what going to happen; should immediately reassure us with echoes of every time GOD has comforted his people throughout history with that phrase

When he told Moses not to be afraid facing pharaoh, when he told Joshua not to be afraid going into the promised Land, as he told his disciples not to be afraid as he walked in the midst of a storm on water.

And His command to us “not to be afraid” IS NOT so we can dig deep within ourselves to face the fear

BUT to trust in the one who is giving us the command; that he would be with us AND that he is sovereign over the challenges, obstacles, and problems that he's telling us not to be afraid of.

Jesus is telling us that although the world is literally falling apart he the one who holds all things together is still sovereign over that

Now you might be thinking “well that's great”, but at the same time you are still wondering (like the disciples) “when is ALL this going to happen?” Pastor just hurry up and tell me is this the end of not?

Politicians and politics are getting worse and worse every day. Global warming has got the coast about to be covered in water AND that has even Bill Nye (the science guy) worried. Viruses like covid shut down the entire world; certainly this is the End…. isn't it?

So Pastor Andrew how much time do I have? How long can I live it up in my “quote unquote” sin before Jesus comes back?

And you would not be alone in trying to find that answer.

In fact many groups; and scientist (dooms day clock); and even some Christians have tried to predict the end

But this is always baffling to me because Jesus literally says you know not the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13).

So instead of feeding our fear and giving into our need for control (by telling specific day and time - make us worry anyway)

Jesus just gives us an ILLUSTRATION and an IMPERATIVE (something that is vital to us as Christians).

You see verses 11-24 are all common themes of judgment in the bible (e.g., Deut 32:24; Ezek 6:11; Rev 6:12; 16:18) and some of us may say that we have seen some of these things happen already in history and are still happening.

So maybe the end is not as bad as he made it seem; OR maybe this Jesus guy just got it wrong.

This is where I think Matthew and Mark version of this same account gives us a little help here, because it includes the phrase “beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:8 Mark 13:8) to explain all of what we see, feel, and experience

You see birth pains don't happen at the beginning, they don't happen in the middle; BUT birth pains happens towards the end of the pregnancy with more and more contractions happening until the doctors say you got to push and you dont know that

I think we can all tell the earth is experiencing contractions for sure.

All you got to do is turn on the TV or look at your feed online and see that this life is scary, things are happening all around the world;

AND all of us know AND long for something better than what we have here.

Thats why my wife jokingly ask in her prayer time Jesus are you coming back, because earth is ghetto?

BUT sometimes we do get wrapped up in the events, treasures, things of this life.

AND as a result, we get caught in the rat race of life chasing down the right person, the right job, the right amount of money.

Then comes the worry about those things; AND they weigh us down: will I ever find the one, will I ever make enough, will I ever be enough.

We get so fearful of missing out on this stuff; THAT we are in DANGER of missing out on the Kingdom of God (where there will be no more lonliness; no more pain; no more suffering; just joy everlasting with God)

And this promised kingdom IS WHERE our NEW IDENTITIES as children of God are fully expressed.

{Where God no longer looks away from us because of our sin AND all the ways we messed up

BUT he welcomes us home into his kingdom because our identity is now presented in the form of his son Jesus,}

You see all of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard and we are in need of a savior.

Jesus is that savior BECAUSE He lived a perfect and sinless life.

AND he defeated the rightful punishment of sin with his death on the cross, burial and resurrection.

So when we believe in Jesus we get his right standing INSTEAD of our sinful standard AND we become a new creation so our old life pass away.

As new creations in Christ, We MUST NOT put our priority on things in this life that will certainly pass away BUT instead seek a vertical priority that will not pass away

Which leads us to the imperative in verse 34.

Jesus is telling his disciples about war, natural diasters, famine, and death and EVEN tells them they will know its almost time; like the changing of the seasons.

AND then at verse 34 we get the thing of vital importance “BUT WATCH yourselves..” AND “STAY AWAKE at all times”

As the 90’s urban street philosopher “Ice Cube” said “watch yourself before you break yourself”

Everybody say “WATCH YOURSELF” / “BEFORE YOU BREAK YOURSELF”.

For those of you who are lost, let me translate it for you, it just means consider the consequences of your actions you bout to take. (Are you sure you want to do that?)

Why is it so important that we watch?

Jesus is trying to tell us there is a danger if we don't. There are consequences if we don't.

Because our new identity in him is at stake; our call to make disciples until he returns is at stake; our souls are at stake.

BUT since watching is not the same as waiting AND is and watching active activity; it can be exhausting.

AND for those of us who have been following the Lord for a long time, IT'S HARD not drift into despair/ fear of missing out/ fear of not getting to enjoy life and the things of this life

Jesus wants us to finish the race that we start with him.

It would be a shame to run faithfully only to quit or give up right before he comes.

I still remember this story my dad told me about his long distance track coach, where people would run long distances and feel like they were going to pass out the last portion of the race before they crossed the finish line,

AND my dad said his coach would tell them keep running, cross the finish line, and die on the other side.

In other words, you may die BUT you get the satisfaction of finishing what you started AND the joy that comes from completing the task.

Paul says towards the end of his life, I have FINISHED the race AND I have kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7)

NOW there is in store for me the crown of righteousness. (a reward was awaiting for him)

You may say “im tired Jesus”, I’ve been doing what you said; i’ve been in church; I go to small group; I fast and pray BUT I feel like you haven't showed up yet

For that person there is a promise in scripture FROM JESUS and it says, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God,' 'who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)

Galatians 6:9 says do not grow tired of doing good for in due season you will reap, IF you do not give up. '

AND Jesus says in our scripture today by your endurance you will gain your lives.

So we need to keep in accordance with our identity in Christ; we need to trust in Jesus as we endure the fear of missing out; and we need to be alert at ALL Times for the things that would take us away from the life we should be living.

So HOW DO WE WATCH?

Well as we follow Jesus, we must surrender our lives to him and his way.

AND As we take on the new identity in Christ, we must be set apart for God, just like God is set apart.

NOW wake your neighbor up if they fell asleep OR passed out from fear from all the talk about the end times.

BUT get this, what I’m about to say IS NOT a laundry list of more christian rules AND more do’s and dont’s; BECAUSE even the pharisees and religious people of that time were doing all the do’s and dont’s (and Jesus gave them THIS warning)

Technically they did the minimum requirement as Gods people, but as ALWAYS Jesus was after and still is after our hearts.

For where your heart is there your treasure is as well.

Family what are you treasuring in your heart? (things in this world or things in Kingdom of God)

So as we choose to do things that line up with our new identity in Christ,

This may mean we say NO to things we use to say yes to. Maybe for some of us, we dont listen to certain things.

Notice I didnt say you had to do these things BUT we must be careful to “WATCH OURSELVES BEFORE WE BREAK OURSELVES.”

You know good and well whats good for you and whats not.

You know everytime you go out with certain friends; you gone partake in certain activities.

BUT then be upset when things turn out the way you knew they were going to turn out before you went out.

So consider the consequences of your actions.

(i got to keep going) Christian community can help us watch as well.

I share with alot with mens groups, about when I started participating with the men in the church AND I saw that all the married men wore there wedding bands. (Now you might be think this small gesture, BUT had profound impact.)

By this time in my marriage, I had lost my first ring through a funny story I wont tell but at first I didn't think to much of it because my wife knew we were married and I wasn't going anywhere.

BUT the more I hung around the men of God, I almost felt like I was missing out on something sacred as a married man of God.

SO I quickly got the cheapest ring I could afford so I could hold and display this standard.

These men taught me; even though they never said a word to me AND these men help me watch for things; even though they never preached a message to me.

Thats a way the community of God can help you.

There is one more way to stay watchful and that is through serving others as Jesus encouraged us.

It’s easy to be watching when you are doing the things Jesus told you to do in the first place.

In serving others we spread the love of God in the various ways he has moved on our hearts as individual ministers.

AND as a church of ministers NOT a church with a minister; we minister from a God given passion and not a check box that means nothing.

I’m so happy to know that we have people here at Hope Valley who serve on a weekly basis in the recreation centers; the high schools; food banks; and even with the immigrants. (we actually serve in so many ways i lose count)

But when you serve God’s mission you can stay focused on the things of God.

So as I close, family IF WE DON’T watch ourselves we are in danger of wrecking ourselves.

IF we dont watch ourselves at all times we are at risk of experiencing the consequences of acting like our old self and not the new creation we are in Christ.

Scripture tells us that the end will come like a thief in the night, all of a sudden, and when we don't expect it.

For if you knew when the robber was coming you wouldn't get robbed.

Kevin Hart tells the joke about having gun compartments all around his house to be ready for any robbery situation

But he ends up getting robbed in the one place he couldn't get to his guns.

In other words, you are not going to have time to hurry up get in the right place AND get right when the Lord comes,

BECAUSE he already warned us in Luke chapter 12 AND said he will be looking for those who are already Ready AND doing what he says.

So if you STAY READY you ain't got to GET READY. (man yall aint working with me here today)

So What can you take away from this:

For the skeptic, consider that you were created by a Creator AND you have more purpose than the cares of this life that you have given your identity over too.

For the believer every area of our lives should be like a child of God, living like a child of God and welcoming the incoming kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is not the end of something but the beginning of our life with God; with Him back at the center of our purpose.

And those who will receive it will be those who are doing what the father ask us to do all along.

It may be hard, you may want to quit; you may feel like your missing out;

But Matthew 16:26 says what will it profit a man to gain the whole world AND lose his soul?

Watch yourself before you wreck yourself.

Watch yourself as your surrender ever area of your life to Jesus

Watch yourself as you benefit from the company of the people of God

Watch yourself as you serve others

And trust that as you watch at all times the enemy will not be able to pull you from God's hands.

Keep your eyes on Jesus everyday.

He will show us the way of a new life of walking with God;

So literally you can walk through the valley of the shadow of death, OR even the end of the world AND you will fear no evil FOR HE IS WITH YOU.

Keep running, cross the finish line, and live forever with a God on the other side.

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Now the worship team is about to sing, but I dont want to leave the stage without giving you a chance to respond, so we can help you take your next steps in your faith journey.

#1 if you have not surrender your life to Jesus; know your life does not match up with what you know to be right; and you recognize your desperate need of a savior, I want to raise your hand.

If you raised your hand, pray this prayer with me.

#2 if you have grown tired of watching, you lack others around you to help you watch; and you dont want to be caught slipping, caught by surprise, I want you to raise your hand.