Untitled Sermon (6)

Luke 21:6 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

6 ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’

Luke 21:5 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,

1 Lord, I cry out to you out of the depths of my despair!

2 Hear my voice, O God! Answer this prayer and hear my plea for mercy.

3 Lord, if you measured us and marked us with our sins, who would ever have their prayers answered?

.1-

1 John 1:1–9 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 21:6–15 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

6 ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’ 7 ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?’ 8 He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am he,” and, “The time is near.” Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.’ 10 Then he said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. 12 ‘But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

Luke 21:6-

1-6

4 But your forgiving love is what makes you so wonderful. No wonder you are loved and worshiped!

Psalm 130:1–6 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; 2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. 3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. 5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

5 This is why I wait upon you, expecting your breakthrough, for your word brings me hope.

6 I long for you more than any watchman would long for the morning light. I will watch and wait for you, O God, throughout the night.

No man builds the church but Christ alone. Whoever is minded to build the church is surely well on the way to destroying it; for he will build a temple to idols without wishing or knowing it.

This is the whole of Christianity.

There is nothing else. It is so easy to get muddled about that. It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects—education, building, missions, holding services.

Just as it is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects—military, political, economic, and what not. But in a way things are much simpler than that.

We must confess – he builds. We must proclaim – he builds. We must pray to him – he builds. We do not know his plan.

The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life.

A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden—that is what the State is there for.

And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time.

In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs.

If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.

We cannot see whether he is building or pulling down. It may be that the times which by human standards are times of collapse are for him the great times of building.

Lewis, C. S.. The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics . HarperCollins Publishers. Kindle Edition.

It may be that the times which from a human point of view are great times for the church are times when it is pulled down.

It is a great comfort which Christ gives to his church; you confess, preach, bear witness to me, & I alone will build where it pleases me